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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 


Clark  J.  Mill iron 


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The  Odyssey 

Of  the 

Philippine  Commission 


BY 

DANIEL  R.  WILLIAMS 

Pri'vate  Secretary  to  Commissioner  Moses;  Secretary  Philippine 
Commission;  Associate  Judge  Philippine  Court 
of  Land  Registration,  Manila. 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 
1913 


Copyright 

A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co. 

1913 

Published  September,  1913 


W.  F.  HALL  PRINTINO  COMMNV,  CMICAG^ 


DS 


TO 

MY   COMPANIONS   ON   THE   TRANSPORT 

"  HANCOCK," 

AND  TO 

ALL  THE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  WHO  HAVE  BORNE 

A  PART  IN  WORKING  OUT  OUR 

PHILIPPINE  PROBLEM 


829532 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

WITH  the  exception  of  the  final  chapter,  the 
story  here  told  of  the  trip  of  the  Philippine 
Commission  to  Manila,  and  the  fragmentary 
account  of  its  early  work  in  the  islands,  are  taken 
almost  literally  from  letters  written  home  at  the 
time.  For  this  reason  some  of  the  conclusions 
reached  are  doubtless  subject  to  correction  when 
judged  by  events.  It  is  hoped,  however,  that  this 
fault  will  be  more  than  offset  by  the  fact  that  such 
letters  seek  to  portray  a  situation  in  the  making, 
with  something  of  the  spontaneity  which  ever  comes 
from  a  passing  judgment.  That  the  letters  are 
now  presented  in  this  form  is  due  largely  to  the 
partial  criticism  of  friends,  who  profess  to  see  in 
them  something  of  interest  and  information  to  the 
general  public.  If  further  excuse  be  necessary,  it 
is  found  in  the  circumstance  that  no  book  has  yet 
appeared  describing  the  establishment  of  civil 
government  in  the  Philippines,  nor  conveying  an 
adequate  idea  of  the  difficulties  encountered  and 
overcome  by  the  Commission  in  its  work.  Our 
country  was  fortunate  in  having  such  statesman- 
like men  sent  to  meet  and  solve  such  big  problems, 
and  any  contribution  which  will  help  our  people  to 
further  realize  and  appreciate  this  fact,  and  at  the 
same  time  deepen  their  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
our  Filipino  wards,  cannot  come  amiss. 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I 

San  Francisco  to  Yokohama  .     . 

I 

II 

Yokohama  to  Hong  Kong  .     .     . 

i8 

III 

Hong  Kong  to  Manila  .     .     .     . 

38 

IV 

Manila  and  First  Impressions    . 

48 

V 

Early  Incidents  and  Problems  . 

59 

VI 

Law-Making  and  Sundry  Excur- 

sions     

87 

108 

VII 

The  Turning  of  the  Tide  .     .     . 

VIII 

Provincial,  Municipal,  and 

School  Laws 

132 

IX 

Provincial  Organization  .     . 

145 

X 

The  Southern  Trip   .... 

165 

XI 

The  Southern  Trip  (Continued) 

190 

XII 

The  Southern  Trip  (Continued) 

.     215 

XIII 

Igorote  Land 

•     251 

XIV 

The  Passing  of  the  "  Empire  " 

.     278 

XV 

The  Northern  Trip  .... 

.     290 

XVI 

The  Machinery  in  Motion   . 

•     315 

XVII 

Twelve  Years  Later     .     .     . 

•     327 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The  Philippine  Commission Frontispiece 

President  Taft  at  Oahu  plantation 12 

Mr.   Dominguez 12 

Ship-board    diversions 24 

The   Nikko  quartette 24 

The  author  and  his  daughter 5° 

Provincial  transportation,  carabao  sled 58 

Gate,   Walled   City 58 

Government  offices,   Manila 70 

The  water  carrier 86 

River  scene 100 

On  the  Pasig  river 100 

A  country  lane  with  bamboo 116 

A  country  home 116 

Negritos  in  the  forest 130 

Negritos  at  home 130 

A  woman  of  the  people 138 

Adult  Negrito  woman,  showing  relative  size 138 

A  tropical  river 144 

A  river  scene,  Pagsanjan,  Laguna 144 

Native  boats  welcoming  Commission,  Bataan 162 

Native  prao,  off  Bacolod,  Negros 162 

Filipino  girl 178 

Typical  Filipino  women  of  the  better  class 178 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

President  Taft  and  the  Sultan  of  Sulu 190 

Group  of  Bataks,  Paragua 190 

Moro  sports,  Cotabato,  Mindanao 194 

Moro  dancing  girls,  Cotabato,  Mindanao 194 

A  Moro  family 200 

Bagobos,  Davao,  Mindanao 220 

The   doctor        256 

Fast  express 256 

Arch  of  welcome,  Tacloban,  Leyte 258 

Scene  on  the  Benguet  road 258 

Tropical  vegetation,  Benguet 262 

Group  of  Igorotes,  Benguet 268 

Public  session  with  Igorotes  at  Cervantes 274 

Balsa  used  on  the  trip  to  Bangued,  Abra 296 

The  "Merry  Widow" 300 

A  bath  al-fresco 30° 

River  scene  showing  dense  forest  growth 314 

Igorote  climbing  a  tree  fern 3^4 

Igorote  woman 326 

One  of  the  people 326 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF 
THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 


The  Odyssey  of  the  Philippine 
Commission 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  YOKOHAMA 

U.  S.  Transport  Hancock, 
Pacific  Ocean,  April  //,  igoo. 
WJ"  ELL,  the  die  is  cast,  and  it  is  Ho !  for  the  set- 
^^  ting  sun,  and  all  the  mysteries  that  lie 
shrouded  away  yonder  beyond  the  dip  of  many 
horizons.  The  Commission  and  party  sailed  at 
noon  today,  and  with  the  Cliff  House  and  Farral- 
lones  a  memory,  I  can  testify  to  some  of  the  feelings 
of  that  old  adventurer,  Cristofer  Colombo.  The 
past  two  weeks  have  been  such  a  scramble  as  to 
leave  little  time  to  think  upon  the  nature  of  this 
journey  or  the  experiences  opening  before  us.  We 
are  beginning  to  take  stock  of  them  now,  however, 
and  of  each  other.  Any  one  who  has  traveled  on 
ocean  liners  will  recall  the  interest,  not  without 
thrills,  with  which  he  turned  to  examine  his  fellow 
passengers  when  friends  and  shore  line  had  finally 
disappeared.  It  is  as  if  all  the  call  of  the  big,  out- 
side world  had  become  centered  upon  the  miniature 

[I] 


THE   ODYSSEY  OF 

world  about  you.  With  our  party  this  usual  inter- 
est is  stimulated  by  the  fact  that  we  are  to  be  not 
only  fellow  voyagers  for  a  month  and  half,  but 
fellow  workers  as  well  in  that  somewhat  hazy 
Orient  toward  which  we  are  headed. 

With  the  exception  of  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mission who  met  and  organized  in  Washington, 
few  of  our  number  ever  saw  each  other  before 
boarding  the  transport.  Even  here,  however,  the 
old  saying  about  the  world  being  small,  finds  illus- 
tration. After  leaving  port  I  found  that  James  A. 
LeRoy,  Private  Secretary  to  Commissioner  Wor- 
cester, is  none  other  than  "Jack"  LeRoy,  trackman 
and  athlete,  whom  I  had  known  in  the  old  college 
days  at  Ann  Arbor.  It  was  a  pleasant  discovery, 
and  established  a  community  of  interest  between 
us  without  any  preliminary  skirmishing. 

That  this  expedition  is  "  fraught  with  peculiar 
importance,"  and  is  certain  to  hold  strange  incident 
and  happening  for  all  of  us,  is  more  easily  said  at 
this  time  than  altogether  appreciated.  As  we 
steamed  down  the  bay  this  afternoon,  and  saw  the 
fluttering  flags  and  heard  the  crash  of  music  from 
the  different  warships,  it  seemed  more  as  though  we 
were  bound  for  a  short  pleasure  cruise  than  begin- 
ning a  journey  of  eight  thousand  miles  to  end  it  — 
we  knew  not  where.  It  was  and  is  diflicult  to  realize 
that  the  mission  upon  which  the  Commission  is  going 
is  unique  to  our  people,  and  marks,  in  all  likelihood, 
the  turning  of  a  new  page  in  our  history. 

As  nearly  as  I  understand  it,  our  country  is  now 

[2] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

undertaking  something  entirely  unforeseen  and 
unplanned  for  at  the  outbreak  of  war  with  Spain. 
It  certainly  formed  no  part  of  our  plan  at  that  time 
to  take  unto  ourselves  a  distant  and  an  alien  race, 
and  train  it  in  the  way  they  should  go.  In  fact 
there  were  mighty  few  of  us  who  could  have  told 
then  just  where  the  Philippines  were,  or  what  manner 
of  people  inhabited  them.  When  Dewey  sank  the 
Spanish  fleet  on  that  May  morning  in  1898,  you 
could  almost  hear  the  rustle  of  geographies  and 
encyclopedias  throughout  the  land.  There  has 
been  fierce  argument  since  as  to  what  our  next  move 
should  have  been.  Some  contend  Dewey  should 
have  sailed  away  as  soon  as  his  particular  task  was 
done;  others  that  he  did  the  only  proper  thing  by 
remaining.  The  fact  is  he  stayed,  and  we  sent  over 
some  soldiers  to  help  capture  Manila  and  loosen 
Spain's  hold  on  shore  as  well  as  on  sea.  While  we 
were  doing  this,  the  Filipinos  improved  the  occasion 
by  setting  up  a  bouffe  government  of  their  own  at 
Malolos.  Here  again,  some  maintain,  a  chance  was 
offered  us  to  quit  the  islands  and  rid  ourselves  of 
further  responsibility.  Those  on  the  ground,  how- 
ever, vehemently  insist  that  the  continued  presence 
of  our  soldiers  alone  saved  Manila  from  being 
looted,  and  the  islands  at  large  from  anarchy  and 
revolution.  Whatever  the  right  of  it,  the  doubt 
was  once  more  resolved  by  remaining,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  what  we  "ought  to  have  done"  has  now 
become  purely  academic. 

Our  primary  purpose  in  staying  was  doubtless  to 

[3] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

preserve  law  and  order.     Beyond  this  our  plans  do 
not  seem  to  have  been  very  well  defined  either  to 
ourselves  or  to  the  Filipinos.     We  assured  the  lat- 
ter  of   our   desire   to   better   their   condition,    and 
promised  them  as  big  a  share  in  running  things  as 
was    consistent    with    the    public    good.     Nobody 
seemed  able  to  say,  however,  just  how  we  were  to 
go   about   it.      Pending   a   discussion   of  ways   and 
means  our  troops   remained  in   Manila,   while  the 
Filipinos  camped  outside  and  continued  to  operate 
their  improvised  government  at  Malolos.     Aguin- 
aldo,   it  appears,   told  his  people   that  Dewey,   or 
some  other  person  in  authority,  had  promised  him 
the  islands  should  be  independent.     This  was  denied 
by  the  accused,  and  by  our  government,  which  was 
convinced,  apparently,  that  the  natives  lacked  both 
the  training  and  experience  to  stand  alone.     After 
numerous  conferences,  which  accomplished  nothing, 
the    Filipinos   concluded   to    end   the   argument   by 
driving  us  out  of  the  islands.     That  this  was  a  case 
of  bad  judgment  on  their   part  hardly  admits  of 
question.      It  left  us  no  alternative  but  to  suppress 
the  uprising  and  restore  order.     We  had  driven  the 
Spaniard  from  the  islands,  and  upon  us  devolved  the 
obligation  of   replacing  the  government  destroyed 
with  one  which  would  insure  protection  to  native 
and  foreigner  alike.     To  withdraw  in  the  face  of 
attack  would  be  to  invite  chaos. 

Though  there  can  be  but  one  outcome  to  the  insur- 
rection, its  occurrence  is  most  deplorable.  Not 
only  has  it  already  resulted  in  much  destruction  of 

[4] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

life  and  property,  but,  more  unfortunate  still,  it  has 
sown  and  is  sowing  hatreds  and  antagonisms  which 
threaten  to  render  abortive  all  our  purposes  toward 
the  islanders.  If  our  occupation  is  to  benefit  them, 
their  belief  In  our  good  intentions  is  imperative. 
To  hold  a  sullen  people  by  the  strong  hand  will 
neither  profit  them  nor  satisfy  us.  Their  confidence 
and  cooperation  are  absolutely  necessary  if  our 
plans  for  their  betterment  are  to  be  realized.  The 
difficulty  is  that  they  have  been  deluded  by  promises 
so  long  that  nothing  but  the  tangible  fact  will  bring 
conviction.  To  convince  them  of  our  sincerity  It  is 
necessary  to  take  some  actual  steps  toward  making 
good  our  promises  and  pledges,  and  for  this  some- 
thing more  than  the  existing  military  rule  is  impera- 
tive. Not  only  is  such  a  government  necessarily 
harsh  and  arbitrary,  and  unfitted  by  its  very  nature 
to  win  the  confidence  of  a  people,  but  in  this  Instance 
it  is  rendered  doubly  so  by  reason  of  the  inevitable 
friction  and  bitterness  caused  by  the  pending 
struggle. 

It  is  to  meet  this  condition  of  affairs  that  the 
present  Commission  was  appointed.  President 
McKInley  has  chosen  five  men  from  out  our  country 
to  go  to  the  Philippines,  and  there,  upon  the  heels 
of  war,  convince  an  embittered,  suspicious  and 
beaten  race  that  we  are  sincere  in  our  desire  to  help 
them,  and  have  no  purpose  in  our  hearts  save  their 
highest  good.  He  has  instructed  them  to  inaugu- 
rate governments  essentially  popular  in  form  as  fast 
as  territory  is  held  and  controlled  by  our  troops, 

[5] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

and,  in  so  doing,  to  remember  that  the  purpose 
sought  is  not  our  satisfaction  or  the  expression  of 
our  theoretical  views,  but  the  happiness,  peace  and 
prosperity  of  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands. 
Not  an  easy  task  is  it,  particularly  when  you  remem- 
ber that  insurrection  is  still  waging,  and  that  seventy 
thousand  American  troops  are  seeking  by  force  of 
arms  to  establish  our  sovereignty  in  the  islands? 

Can  you  wonder,  therefore,  considering  all  this, 
that  our  journey  takes  on  a  strange  interest  for  me, 
or  that  its  possible  future  happenings  are  a  matter 
of  more  or  less  vivid  conjecture?  I  am  glad  to  be 
in  the  game. 


Pacific  Ocean,  April  ig,  igoo. 

Our  party  has  spent  most  of  the  past  two  days  in 
getting  acquainted.  There  has  been  a  process  of 
"sizing  up"  which  would  doubtless  surprise  or 
appall  were  we  mind  readers.  It  is  very  fascinat- 
ing, however,  for  in  each  new  acquaintance  there  is 
much  of  the  excitement  of  a  lottery.  You  may 
draw  a  congenial  spirit  and  companion,  who  will  add 
to  the  joy  of  all  your  after  days,  or  it  may  be  — 
otherwise.  I  have  gotten  far  enough  to  at  least 
know  the  names  of  the  chosen,  with  something  of 
their  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

The  Commission,  as  you  doubtless  know,  con- 
sists of  the  Hon.  William  H.  Taft  of  Ohio,  Prof. 
Dean  C.  Worcester  of  Michigan,  General  Luke  E. 
Wright  of  Tennessee,  Judge  Henry  C.  Ide  of  Ver- 

[61 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

mont,    and    Prof.    Bernard    Moses    of    California. 
Judge  Taft  is  President  of  the  Commission. 

As  to  the  attaches  of  the  Commission  —  those 
lesser  lights  whom  fate  or  fortune  has  called  to 
share  in  this  work  —  their  roster  is  as  follows: 

Secretary Not  yet  named 

Assistant  Secretary .  .Rutherford  Corbin 

Spanish  Secretary Arthur  W.  Fergusson 

Assistant  Spanish  Secretary Frank  Dominguez 

Disbursing  Officer Frank  A.  Branagan 

Recorder Leon  W.  Pepperman 

Private  Secretary  to  Judge  Taft Mr.  Coffman 

Private  Secretary  to  Com'r  Worcester, 

James  A.  LeRoy 
Private  Secretary  to  Com'r  Wright.  .Fred  Heiskell 

Private  Secretary  to  Com'r  Ide Paul  Carter 

Private  Secretary  to  Com'r  Moses, 

Daniel  R.  Williams 

We  of  the  staff,  no  less  than  the  Commissioners, 
come  from  widely  separated  places  and  callings. 
Mr,  Fergusson  has  been  connected  with  the  Bureau 
of  American  Republics  in  Washington,  and  was 
interpreter  and  translator  for  the  Paris  Peace  Com- 
mission. Mr.  Corbin  was  Assistant  Secretary  to 
the  Schurman  Commission,  and  was  connected  in 
some  capacity  with  the  Paris  Peace  Commission. 
Mr.  Dominguez  is  an  attorney  from  Los  Angeles, 
Mr.  Branagan  was  disbursing  officer  for  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  at  Washington,   and  acted  in  like 

'  [7] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

capacity  for  the  Paris  Peace  Commission.  Mr. 
Coffman  is  just  from  Matanzas,  Cuba,  where  he 
was  Secretary  to  General  Wilson.  Mr.  LeRoy  and 
Mr.  Heiskell  are  newspaper  men,  the  former  being 
from  Detroit  and  the  latter  from  Memphis.  Mr. 
Carter  was  a  court  reporter  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Ver- 
mont. Mr.  Pepperman,  the  Recorder  of  the  Com- 
mission, who  was  connected  with  the  Civil  Service 
Board  in  Washington,  is  not  aboard,  having  failed 
to  reach  San  Francisco  before  we  sailed.  Another 
attache  is  Mr.  Brussard,  who  went  to  Cuba  as  cap- 
tain in  an  immune  regiment  from  Louisiana.  I  do 
not  know  his  duties. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  whose  connection  with 
the  Commission  is  on  a  salary  basis,  our  party 
includes  the  following:  Mrs.  Taft  and  three  chil- 
dren, and  her  sister,  Miss  Herron;  Mrs.  Worcester 
and  two  children;  Mrs.  Wright  and  daughter;  Mrs. 
Moses  and  sister.  Miss  Briggs;  the  Misses  Ide; 
Mrs.  Fergusson  and  boy;  Mrs.  Branagan  and  boy; 
Mrs.  LeRoy;  Major  W.  L.  Kneedler,  Medical  Offi- 
cer assigned  to  the  Commission,  and  Mrs.  Kneedler 
and  two  children;  Dr.  Frank  Bourns  (who  was 
associated  with  Commissioner  Worcester  on  certain 
scientific  expeditions  to  the  Philippines  before  the 
Spanish  war)  and  his  sister.  Miss  Bourns;  Mrs. 
Thomas,  whose  husband  is  a  volunteer  army  sur- 
geon in  the  islands;  Miss  Boruck  and  Miss  McCord, 
army  nurses  enroute  to  Manila,  and  Major  Batson 
of  the  Macabebee  Scouts. 

Of  our  entire  number,  only  four,  i.  e.,  Commis- 

[8] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

sioner  Worcester,  Dr.  Bourns,  Mr.  Corbin  and 
Major  Batson,  have  ever  been  in  the  Philippines. 
To  the  rest  of  us  the  Orient,  with  all  the  mystery 
it  enfolds,  will  come  with  all  the  charm  of  novelty. 
The  Hancock  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
appointed  of  our  transports.  It  was  formerly  the 
S.  S.  Arizona  with  an  Atlantic  record.  The  Quar- 
termaster in  charge  is  Captain  Bradley  of  the  14th 
Infantry,  who  has  as  civilian  assistants,  Messrs. 
Sewell  and  Tripler.  Captain  H.  K.  Struve  is  Sail- 
ing Master,  and  Dr.  McVean  is  Ship's  Surgeon. 
The  cabin  boys  and  waiters  are  Chinese,  and  the 
service  could  not  be  better  were  we  guests  on  a 
private  yacht. 


Pacific  Ocean,  April  23,  igoo. 
We  have  ridden  rough  seas  for  the  past  two  days, 
causing  an  eclipse  of  some  of  the  party.  It  is  now 
"  fair  weather,"  however,  and  everyone  has  come 
to  the  front  with  a  smile.  The  air  is  warm  and 
delicious  —  possibly  the  sugar  coat  of  the  tropics. 
Awnings  have  been  stretched  over  the  promenade 
deck,  and  white  clothes  are  in  the  ascendant.  The 
only  serious  occupation  aboard  appears  to  be  the 
study  of  Spanish,  nearly  everyone  you  meet  having 
a  libra  Espahol  of  some  kind.  I  fear  that  neither 
the  atmosphere  nor  the  environment  is  conducive 
to  producing  great  linguists.  Thus  far  the  only 
service  required  of  the  Secretaries  has  been  copying 
the  President's   Instructions  to  the   Commission  — 

[9] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

an  Interesting  rather  than  a  strenuous  task.  We  are 
due  at  Honolulu  tomorrow,  and  speculation  is  rife 
whether  we  will  be  permitted  to  land.  The  port 
has  been  quarantined  for  some  weeks  on  account  of 
bubonic  plague,  and  our  going  ashore  depends,  it 
seems,  upon  our  being  able  to  get  a  clean  bill  of 
health  for  Yokohama  from  the  Japanese  Consul. 


Honolulu,  April  24,  igoo. 
We  anchored  off  Honolulu  at  12-30  p.  m.,  just 
one  week  out  from  San  Francisco.  The  view  from 
the  transport  is  one  to  make  our  desire  to  go  ashore 
clamorous.  The  city  lies  along  a  circling  bay,  with 
a  background  of  mountains.  Pretty  valleys  stretch 
back  between  the  ranges  of  hills,  green  with  the 
vivid  coloring  of  warm  skies  and  tropic  rainfalls. 
Clouds  and  occasional  showers  sweep  over  the 
mountains,  while  the  city  and  bay  remain  flooded 
in  bright  sunlight.  Our  fate  hung  in  the  balance 
for  some  hours,  there  being  much  running  to  and 
fro  and  consultations  galore.  Finally,  about  4-30 
P.  M.,  the  scales  happily  tipped  our  way,  it  being 
definitely  decided  wc  might  land.  As  the  good  news 
spread  over  the  ship,  smiles  lighted  the  erstwhile 
gloom,  and  paeans  of  joy  resounded  on  every  hand. 


Pacific  Ocean,  April  jS,  igoo. 
The  old  saying  that  "  realization  seldom  equals 
expectation,"    does    not    hold    good    of    Honolulu. 

[ID] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

There  the  measure  of  hope  overflows,  and  one's 
thoughts  run  only  in  superlatives.  The  place  is,  in 
truth,  "A  summer  isle  of  Eden  in  dark  purple 
spheres  of  sea."  For  three  days  and  a  half  we 
revelled  in  its  beauty  and  its  charm.  From  the  late 
afternoon  we  landed,  until  we  were  sped  over  the 
waters  last  midnight  by  the  Alohas  of  a  gracious 
people,  there  was  a  constant  succession  of  delightful 
experiences.  We  fell  in  love  with  the  smiling,  soft- 
voiced  Kanakas,  the  men  with  their  hat  bands  of 
lets,  and  the  women  in  their  flowing  holakous. 
Markets,  filled  with  strange  fruits  and  with  fish  as 
multi-colored  as  the  rainbow,  were  a  never-ending 
delight,  and  the  variety  of  vegetation  was  a  revela- 
tion. Everywhere  you  saw  giant  palms  marking 
the  sky  line,  while  lesser  trees  and  plants  flourished 
in  tropical  luxuriance. 

The  first  morning  we  were  taken  on  a  drive  to 
the  far-famed  Pali.  The  road  leads  back  through 
the  city  and  up  a  green  valley  hedged  by  high  moun- 
tains. The  view  at  all  times  is  superb.  As  we 
gradually  ascended  we  had  behind  us  a  panorama 
of  the  city  and  the  bay,  while  about  us  were  tower- 
ing cloud-capped  peaks.  After  winding  steadily 
upward  for  some  two  hours  we  came  to  a  narrow, 
wind-swept  gorge  that  seemed  to  end  in  space.  We 
stood  at  the  crest  of  the  Island  and  saw  yawning 
before  us  a  sheer  declivity  of  over  two  thousand 
feet.  Far  below,  and  spreading  out  like  a  fan,  lay 
a  fertile  plain  which  stretched  away  to  meet  the 
ocean  beyond.     In  the  valley  every  shade  and  tint 

[II] 


THE   ODYSSEY  OK 

of  green  blended  Into  one  harmonious  carpet  of 
beautiful  colors.  The  sea,  shimmering  in  the  bright 
sunlight,  was  a  deep,  deep  blue  except  where  it 
broke  Into  foam  upon  some  coral  reef  or  fell  back 
lazily  from  the  curving  shore.  It  was  a  scene  such 
as  the  mighty  workshop  of  nature  occasionally 
strikes  off  to  gladden  and  awe  the  souls  of  men.  We 
were  told  that  In  the  old  days  Kamehameha  I  pur- 
sued his  routed  enemies  up  the  valley  and  then  piled 
their  bodies  in  thousands  over  the  precipice.  It 
looked  quite  feasible,  though  the  place  needed  no 
such  grim  history  to  quicken  its  interest  or  charm. 
The  following  day  we  were  given  an  excursion 
over  the  Oahu  Railway,  a  line  which  runs  partly 
around  the  Island.  On  one  side  of  us  lay  always 
the  sea,  and  to  the  other  rose  the  mountains,  with 
the  green  of  rice  and  cane  fields  between.  We  vis- 
ited the  Oahu  sugar  plantation  and  saw  the  various 
stages  of  sugar  making  from  the  cutting  of  the  cane 
to  where  the  dark  brown  sugar  was  sewed  In  bags 
by  native  women.  From  there  we  proceeded  to 
Waialua,  a  week's  end  resort  for  Honolulu  people. 
The  hotel  is  called  *'HaleIwa,"  which  means  the 
beautiful  home.  It  would  be  difficult  to  choose  a 
more  appropriate  name,  as  the  site  and  surround, 
ings  of  the  place  are  ideal.  The  proprietor  and 
his  daughter  sang  some  native  songs  for  us,  and 
never  have  I  heard  softer  or  sweeter  music  than 
these  Hawaiian  airs.  They  have  a  certain  plaintive 
sadness  about  them  that  carries  an  irresistible 
appeal.     Each  of  the  party  was  decorated  with  a 

[12] 


N 
V 

P 

c 

e 

o 

Q 


'■^.^.. 


c 
c 


(3 

EX 


-a 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

lei  —  a  chaplet  of  flowers  worn  about  the  neck  and 
usually  given  to  people  who  are  being  entertained 
or  starting  on  a  journey.  It  is  a  pretty  custom,  and 
has  the  effect,  somehow,  of  leveling  distinctions  and 
bringing  people  into  intimate  touch  without  any 
agonizing  intermediate  stage- 

Our  last  day  was  devoted  to  various  diversions. 
In  the  morning  most  of  us  visited  the  Bishop 
Museum,  a  wonderful  collection  of  everything  per- 
taining to  native  life  in  the  Hawaiian  and  South  Sea 
Islands.  It  was  intensely  interesting  and  left  with 
us  a  number  of  decidedly  new  impressions  concern- 
ing the  customs  and  costumes  of  primitive  peoples. 

For  the  afternoon  we  were  invited  to  Waikiki 
Beach  as  the  guests  of  Mrs.  Carter.  Waikiki  lies 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  and  is  famous  for  its 
summer  homes  and  its  bathing  and  surf  riding. 
Most  of  the  gathering  donned  bathing  suits,  and  all 
but  a  few  indulged  in  surf  riding  —  without  doubt 
one  of  the  most  exhilarating  sports  in  the  world. 
The  natives,  who  are  experts,  ride  the  breakers  on 
long  flat  boards,  as  pictured  in  our  old  geographies. 
For  amateurs,  however,  a  surf  boat  is  provided, 
being  a  long  narrow  canoe  fitted  with  an  outrigger 
and  holding  from  five  to  eight  persons.  In  charge 
of  a  native,  you  work  your  way  out  through  the  surf 
until  some  four  hundred  yards  from  shore,  where 
the  boat  is  turned  and  a  lookout  kept  for  a  nice,  big 
breaker.  Then,  as  the  native  sees  one  to  his  liking, 
he  makes  a  deft  turn  of  his  paddle,  and  the  breaker, 
instead  of  passing  over  or  under,  catches  and  holds 

[13] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

your  craft  in  the  curve  of  the  waters  and  shoots  you 
forward  with  a  rush  like  the  wind.  The  stern  of 
the  boat  is  high  up  near  the  crest  of  the  wave,  while 
the  bow  is  ploughing  through  the  water  at  its  base 
and  enveloping  you  in  spray.  Glancing  over  your 
shoulder  you  see  the  white  comb  of  the  breaker 
rising  above  you,  while  about  you  is  the  swish  and 
swirl  of  the  embracing  water  as  you  and  it  race 
madly  toward  the  shore. 

While  the  sport  is  reasonably  safe,  your  boat  is 
likely  to  capsize  if  allowed  to  swing  "side  on"  to  a 
big  breaker.  This  occurred  two  or  three  times,  but 
in  each  instance  the  victim  could  swim,  and  clung 
to  the  overturned  canoe  until  it  drifted  within  depth. 
Judge  Ide  was  one  of  the  unfortunates,  and  in  the 
mixup  was  evidently  struck  by  the  outrigger.  As 
succeeding  waves  dashed  over  him,  and  broke  his 
hold,  he  became  quite  exhausted  and  kept  afloat  with 
difl'iculty.  Major  Kneedler,  passing  in  another 
boat,  saw  his  dilemma  and  did  the  rescue  act  by 
taking  the  Judge's  place  in  the  water. 

General  Wright  also  had  an  exciting  experience. 
When  some  distance  from  shore  he  jumped  from  his 
boat  to  join  the  bathers,  all  of  whom  appeared  to 
be  within  depth.  Instead  of  landing  in  the  regular 
surf  he  went  over  his  head  into  a  deep  and  unlooked 
for  channel.  Though  able  to  swim,  the  unexpected 
nature  of  the  plunge  caused  him  to  swallow  consid- 
erable sea  water,  something  not  prescribed  as  a  first 
aid  to  swimmers.  After  rather  strenuous  efforts  he 
reached   a   small   raft  anchored   out   in   the  water. 

[14] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

From  there  he  tried  to  attract  some  of  the  boats, 
but  his  distress  signals  were  treated  as  mere  ebul- 
litions of  joy.  He  finally  struck  out  alone,  but* 
again  landed  in  that  unfortunate  channel.  It  was 
only  after  a  desperate  struggle,  and  when  utterly 
exhausted,  that  he  finally  reached  shore.  He 
stated  later  that  he  could  not  have  held  out  another 
fifty  yards. 

Mrs.  Carter's  lawn  runs  down  to  the  shore,  and 
as  we  gathered  there  in  the  late  afternoon  the  scene 
was  one  of  the  most  peaceful  and  restful  I  have  ever 
known.  The  air  was  soft  and  fragrant,  and  the 
setting  sun  painted  sea  and  sky  with  a  glory  of  color 
new  to  northern  eyes.     It  was  a  perfect  experience. 

The  world  has  many  beautiful  playgrounds,  but 
one  might  go  far  to  find  a  prettier  than  Honolulu. 


Pacific  Ocean,  May  8,  igoo. 
We  are  now  ten  days  out  from  Honolulu,  and 
within  two  of  Yokohama.  During  the  first  days 
after  leaving  Honolulu  everyone  was  more  or  less 
comatose,  giving  tired  nature  a  chance  to  repair  the 
ravages  of  that  season  of  dissipation.  There  is 
something  about  an  ocean  trip  that  conduces  to  lazi- 
ness anyway.  The  old  and  accustomed  task  has 
been  set  aside,  and  there  is  no  demand  or  inspira- 
tion to  supply  its  place  with  anything  new.  The 
daily  newspaper  is  absent;  there  are  no  office  hours, 
telephones,  nor  time-tables;  you  eat  and  sleep  with- 
out a  hurry  call;  you  lie  down  when  you  feel  like 

[15] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

it,  and  walk  or  talk  as  the  spirit  moves  you.  It  is 
a  condition  of  things  for  which  most  people  imagine 
they  are  striving,  but  which  they  seldom  realize 
except  when  they  can't  help  it. 

The  days  have  brought  closer  acquaintanceship 
among  our  party,  the  wide  diversity  in  character 
making  for  mutual  interests.  Our  community  of 
purpose  has  also  served  to  unify  us  into  one  large 
family,  something  impossible  had  we  been  simply 
fellow  passengers.  There  has  been  much  of  the 
abandon  usual  on  shipboard.  We  have  had  costume 
parties  where  trunks  were  ransacked  for  startling 
effect,  and  when  everyone  temporarily  lost  his  dig- 
nity if  not  his  sanity.  There  have  been  impromptu 
concerts,  in  which  all  participated,  the  repertoire 
ranging  from  grand  opera  to  ragtime.  The  favor- 
ite air  appears  to  be  "Whistling  Rufus,  the  One 
Man  Band."  I  feel  sure  that  whenever  we  hear 
that  song  again  it  will  have  power  to  carry  us  back 
to  the  old  social  hall  of  the  Hancock,  where  cama- 
raderie and  good  cheer  were  king.  A  not  unusual 
ending  to  our  songfests  Is  for  all  to  join  hands, 
Commissioners  included,  and  dance  around  the  room 
like  children. 

There  have  been  two  or  three  days  of  storm  with 
some  casualties.  The  survivors  have  been  of  good 
cheer,  however,  and  have  even  mocked  the  fallen. 
Immunity  from  seasickness  and  heartlessness  seem 
strangely  united  in  the  same  person.  Mr.  Domln- 
guez,  the  Assistant  Spanish  Secretary,  has  been  so 
persistently  and  actively  111  as  to  excite  Interest  if 

[i6] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

not  sympathy.     It  is  a   record  for  which  no  one 
aspires. 


Yokohama,  May  lo,  igoo. 

We  cast  anchor  in  Yeddo  Bay  off  Yokohama  at 
nine-thirty  tonight.  We  are  now  at  the  gates  of  the 
Orient,  and  are  thrilled  with  the  thought  of  what 
the  morrow  and  succeeding  days  will  bring.  Our 
approach  to  this  wonderland  could  not  have  been 
more  lovely  or  picturesque.  We  entered  the  bay 
just  before  sunset,  and  saw  the  sun  go  down  a  great 
red  ball  of  fire  beside  the  mountain  peak  of  Fuji- 
yama, whose  perfect  cone  shone  white  and  clear  in 
the  distance.  To  the  east  rose  a  full  moon  which 
lighted  us  upon  our  twilight  ride  up  the  bay.  The 
harbor  itself  appears  like  a  scene  from  fairyland, 
the  many  ships  in  the  bay  being  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated in  honor  of  the  marriage  of  the  Crown  Prince, 
which  occurred  yesterday.  It  is  a  perfect  night  in 
a  perfect  setting. 

We  are  ready  to  go  ashore  in  the  morning,  the 
plan  being  to  remain  here  a  week.  To  a  healthy 
human  being  the  situation  and  prospect  leave  little 
to  be  desired. 


[17] 


II 

YOKOHAMA  TO  HONG  KONG 

En  Route  Yokohama  to  Kobe, 

May  //,  7^00. 

SHORTLY  after  three  o'clock  the  Hancock 
weighed  anchor  and  headed  down  the  bay.  The 
afternoon  was  bright  and  clear,  and  we  saw  once 
again  the  sweep  of  that  beautiful  harbor  with  Its 
shipping  and  crowded  life,  and,  over  against  it,  the 
city  where  we  gained  our  first  impressions  of  Japan. 
It  may  be  our  good  fortune  to  visit  here  again,  but 
never  with  the  keen  zest  which  came  to  us  in  the 
days  just  gone.  So  much  of  life  has  been  crowded 
Into  their  brief  space  that  It  seems  a  month  rather 
than  a  short  week  since  that  night  we  saw  the  sun 
sink  In  splendor  beside  old  Fujiyama,  and  waited  for 
the  coming  dawn.  How  we  spent  our  time  can  best 
be  told  by  order  of  days. 


Yokohama,  May  ii,  igoo. 

Needless  to  say  our  first  day  was  one  of  vivid 

surprises.      It    was    without    formal    program,    the 

idiosyncracics  of  the  party  being  given   full   sway. 

As  we  landed  we  were  Immediately  surrounded  by 

[i8] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

a  swarm  of  rickshawmen,  vociferous  In  their 
demands  for  patronage  and  in  voluble  assurances 
that  they  could  "  speakee  Inglis."  Rickshaws  con- 
stitute the  carriage  of  Japan,  and  there  are  thou- 
sands of  them.  To  sec  grown  people  getting  into 
these  carts,  and  then  being  whisked  off  by  the  brown- 
legged  runners,  impresses  one  at  first  as  rather  a 
sport  for  children.  When  our  crowd  of  seven 
started,  all  in  line,  it  reminded  me  of  a  lot  of 
ostriches  trotting  off.  Everyone  had  a  broad  grin 
for  his  neighbor,  and  when  we  passed  others  from 
the  ship  they  were  hailed  wildly.  We  found  the 
streets  narrow  and  the  houses  low,  and  constantly 
wondered  when  we  would  come  to  the  wide  "busi- 


ness" section. 


Most  of  the  crowd  took  lunch  at  the  Grand  Hotel, 
which  is  situated  on  the  bund,  or  bay  shore,  and 
commands  a  beautiful  view  of  the  harbor.  The 
latter  was  full  of  all  sorts  of  water  craft,  ranging 
from  the  sampan,  or  native  gondola,  up  through 
junks,  yachts,  merchantmen,  liners  and  transports. 
to  the  warships  of  all  nations. 

In  the  afternoon  some  of  us  took  rickshaws  and 
made  a  wide  tour  of  the  city.  It  was  a  kaleido- 
scope of  changing  scenes  and  impressions.  The 
little  houses  with  their  rice  paper  windows  and  cool, 
mat  floors;  the  picturesque  costumes  of  the  people; 
the  women  with  their  babies  strapped  upon  their 
backs;  the  girls  with  their  rosy  cheeks;  the  troops 
of  children;  the  odd  little  shops,  and  the  various 
street  signs  and  scenes  —  all  were  enchanting.     At 

[19] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

one  point  we  encountered  a  wonderful  garden,  with 
beds  of  peonies,  the  most  luxuriant  imaginable.  At 
another  we  stopped  to  take  tea,  and  the  gaily 
dressed  little  ladies  who  waited  upon  us,  and  who 
pattered  about  on  the  soft  mats,  were  very,  very 
gracious. 

That  night  a  dance  was  given  at  the  Grand  Hotel, 
the  Hancock  contingent  being  well  represented. 
Yokohama  is  a  tourist  center,  and  the  crowd  had 
foregathered  from  all  far  places.  The  assortment 
was  a  varied  one,  and  it  was  interesting  to  try  and 
catalogue  the  specimens.  You  gained  the  impres- 
sion that  everybody  was  out  for  a  good  time,  and 
cared  little  what  others  might  think  or  say.  The 
last  launch  left  for  the  ship  at  midnight.  Many  of 
our  crowd  went  aboard  in  sampans,  however. 


May  12,  igoo. 

Today  several  of  us  went  to  Tokio,  an  hour's 
ride  by  rail  from  Yokohama.  En  route  we  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  country  life  of  the  people,  and  it 
was  no  less  fascinating  than  the  city.  Their  fields 
are  platted  into  little  squares,  every  one  farmed  like 
a  garden.  The  effect  produced  by  these  multi-colored 
patches  is  a  strikingly  pretty  one.  At  the  various 
stopping  places  there  was  always  a  tremendous  hub- 
bub and  clatter.  The  people  wear  wooden  clogs, 
and  as  they  raced  up  and  down  the  platform  it 
sounded  for  all  the  world  like  runaway  colts. 

Tokio,    the    capital    city,    is    a    place    one    could 

[20] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

scarcely  begin  to  explore  in  a  week,  much  less  in  a 
day  or  two.  We  did  little  more  than  drift  about, 
being  entirely  satisfied  to  take  what  fate  brought  our 
way.  When  everything  is  novel  there  is  little  need 
to  pick  and  choose.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  "fate" 
was  represented  for  us  by  our  rickshaw  coolies.  They 
had  their  own  notion  of  what  we  should  see,  derived 
doubtless  from  a  composite  of  the  demands  of  by- 
gone tourists.  Very  likely  we  could  not  have  Im- 
proved upon  their  ideas  had  we  cared  to  make  the 
effort.  Their  first  objective  was  Shiba  Park,  and 
we  praised  their  choice  in  glowing  terms.  There, 
amid  a  wilderness  of  gigantic  trees,  is  situated  a 
famous  group  of  Shinto  temples.  They  were  our 
first  realization  of  those  oriental,  pagoda-like  struc- 
tures, full  of  color  and  strange  forms,  which  typify 
more  than  anything  else  the  "East"  of  our  dreams. 
Upon  entering  the  temples  we  were  requested  to 
remove  our  shoes,  this  more  as  a  protection  for  the 
delicate  matting  than  from  any  religious  sentiment. 
Wandering  about  in  your  stocking  feet,  particularly 
when  not  prepared  for  it,  does  not  inspire  a  solemn 
or  devotional  spirit.  Scattered  about  the  grounds 
were  groups  of  pilgrims,  giving  a  picturesque  touch 
to  the  scene  and  further  reminding  us  that  we  were 
a  long  way  from  home.  The  worshipers,  before 
making  their  prayers,  would  clap  their  hands  or 
strike  a  gong,  the  evident  purpose  being  to  arouse 
the  deity  to  their  presence. 

Most  of  the  government  buildings  are  of  modern 
architecture,  and  with  broad  surrounding  avenues, 

[21] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

mark  well  the  advent  of  a  New  Japan.  The  people 
are  naturally  proud  of  these  structures  as  evidencing 
their  progress,  but  the  visitor  finds  his  greatest  in- 
terest elsewhere.  One  does  not  appreciate  how 
unattractive  are  mere  piles  of  brick  and  stone,  built 
for  utility  only,  until  he  sees  them  cheek  by  jowl 
with  those  other  creations  of  a  people  naturally 
artistic.  There  Is  a  delicacy  and  a  finish  about  every- 
thing purely  Japanese  which  cannot  fail  to  impress 
the  more  practical  westerner. 

We  stopped  at  the  Imperial  Hotel,  which,  like 
many  other  public  utilities  in  Japan,  is  subsidized 
by  the  government.  When  it  is  considered  that  a 
very  large  class  of  tourists  make  it  thumbs  up  or 
thumbs  down  for  a  place  according  to  how  they  are 
fed  and  lodged,  the  scheme  of  insuring  them  a  good 
hotel  has  much  to  commend  it.  A  proper  menu 
and  a  comfortable  bed  cover  a  multitude  of  lesser 

ills. 

In  the  evening  we  attended  a  native  theater. 
There  were  eight  of  us,  and  our  rickshaws  made 
quite  a  procession  as  we  bowled  along  in  single  file. 
The  street  crowds,  the  lighted  shops,  the  sense  of 
rapid  motion,  and  the  entire  novelty  of  our  sur- 
roundings produced  a  sensation  difficult  to  describe. 
There  are  no  chairs  in  a  Japanese  theater  —  or  in  a 
Japanese  home  for  that  matter.  Everybody  squats 
on  mats  on  the  floor.  As  our  legs  refused  to  prop- 
erly double  to  meet  this  requirement,  we  were  sup- 
plied with  chairs.  Their  play  was  some  historical 
drama,  with  more  dialogue  than  action.     They  had 

[22] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

a  revolving  stage,  and  when  one  scene  ended  the 
machinery  turned  and  brought  into  view  another 
section.     It  was  much  simpler  than  a  drop  curtain. 


May  IS,  I  goo. 

Today  a  quartette  of  us  —  i.e.,  Mrs.  Thomas, 
Miss  Briggs,  Miss  Bourns,  and  myself  —  decided 
to  go  to  Nikko,  the  famed  temple  city  of  Japan, 
concerning  which  there  is  a  saying  that  you  must 
not  say  the  word  "beautiful"  until  you  have  seen 
it.  We  left  the  hotel  shortly  after  noon  in  a  driving 
rain,  being  penned  in  our  rickshaws  by  waterproofs. 
We  reached  the  railroad  station  in  half  an  hour  and 
were  glad  to  exchange  our  human  steeds  for  one  of 
steel  and  steam.  The  afternoon  was  cold  and  damp, 
and  none  of  us  were  warmly  clad.  Finally,  to  keep 
from  congealing,  we  played  the  old  game  of  "peas 
porridge  hot,  peas  porridge  cold,"  etc.  It  served 
the  purpose,  but  the  impression  produced  by  the 
performance  upon  our  Japanese  audience  will  likely 
never  be  told. 

Judge  Taft  and  Commissioners  Wright  and  Ide, 
who  were  en  route  to  Nikko  and  Yokohama,  joined 
our  train  at  Akabane.  We  changed  cars  at  Utsuno- 
miya,  from  which  point  the  scenery  became  more 
mountainous  and  picturesque.  Extending  from 
Utsunomiya  to  Nikko,  a  distance  of  over  twenty- 
five  miles,  is  a  wonderful  avenue  lined  with  giant 
cryptomeria  trees.  It  is  a  beautiful  road  leading 
to  a  beautiful  shrine,  and  millions  of  devout  pilgrims 

[23] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

have  traveled  its  shaded  course.  They  still  travel 
it,  but  its  prestige  has  waned  with  the  coming  of 
the  railway. 

We  reached  Nikko  just  at  dusk.  The  road  from 
the  station  to  the  hotel  is  uphill,  requiring  two  men 
to  each  rickshaw.  It  is  to  be  said  that  a  rickshaw 
coolie  has  an  unerring  eye  for  weight,  and  invariably 
makes  his  first  dash  at  the  smallest  members  of  a 
party.  For  this  reason  Judge  Taft  was  not  as  imme- 
diately popular  with  this  fraternity  as  some  of  us. 
The  difficulty  was  overcome,  however,  by  assigning 
an  extra  detail  of  runners  to  his  rickshaw,  and  it  was 
with  much  merriment,  and  with  every  encourage- 
ment from  the  interested  spectators,  that  the  hill 
was  finally  achieved.  We  found  the  hotel  every- 
thing the  most  exacting  tourist  could  require.  Smil- 
ing Japanese  little  girls  acted  as  servants,  and 
they  were  as  nimble  and  silent  as  mice.  "  Chio," 
our  waitress,  was  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  capti- 
vating creatures  imaginable,  and  we  all  succumbed 
to  her  charms. 


May  14,  igoo. 

We  woke  this  morning  to  find  the  sun  shining, 
and  to  breathe  an  atmosphere  intoxicating  in  its 
fragrance  and  freshness.  As  our  stay  in  Nikko  was 
limited,  we  started  early  on  our  visit  to  the  temples. 
Our  walk  led  us  first  across  a  brawling  mountain 
stream,  with  vistas  in  the  distance  of  great,  verdure- 
clad  peaks,  canopied  with  fleecy  clouds.      Directly 

[24] 


Ship-board   Diversions 


The  Nikko  Quartette 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

upstream  from  where  we  crossed  we  saw  the  sacred, 
world-famous,  red  lacquer  bridge,  which  none  but 
the  Emperor  may  pass.  Our  pathway  then  wound 
upward  through  the  silent  forest  and  a  vision  of 
beauty  gradually  unfolded  which  words  are  feeble 
to  describe.  The  sight  of  those  marvelous  temples 
on  that  tree-crowded  mountain  side  was  all  that 
fancy  dared  to  paint  or  wildest  hope  conceive.  The 
impression  created  was  one  of  age;  of  some  old, 
old  time  away  back  in  the  past  —  a  time  filled  with 
dreams  and  strange  fantastic  legends.  You  fronted 
long  avenues  of  towering  trees,  through  which  the 
sunlight  sifted  and  glinted  in  dancing  shadows.  Far 
down  the  vista  you  saw  wonderful  gateways,  and 
still  beyond,  gleaming  through  the  living  archway 
of  green,  were  pagoda  and  temple,  resplendent  with 
ornament  and  rich  in  all  that  a  beauty-loving  people 
could  inspire.  In  the  foreground  were  strangely 
garbed  pilgrims,  some  kneeling,  all  serious  and  de- 
vout. Lacquer,  bronze,  and  gold;  masterful  carv- 
ings in  wood  and  stone;  paintings  rare  and  beauti- 
ful; rich  ripe  color  everywhere,  and  yet  all  sense  of 
garishness  softened  by  the  green  of  tree  and  hill- 
side. It  was  a  combination  that  satisfied  every  soul 
longing  and  left  the  feeling  that  never  had  you  seen 
or  dreamed  a  thing  so  exquisite.  Calm  and  quiet 
dwelt  In  the  shaded,  sacred  groves,  and  one  longed 
that  he  might  stay  on  and  on  and  become  saturated 
with  the  peace  and  harmony  of  it  all. 

Before  leaving  we  climbed  a  long  flight  of  moss- 
grown  steps  to  where,  in  a  simple  enclosure,  is  a 

[25] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

bronze  urn  containing  the  ashes  of  the  men  to  whose 
memory  all  this  wonderful  series  of  temples  was 
reared.  While  erected  originally  as  emblems  of  the 
Buddhist  faith,  and  as  a  sacred  gathering  place  for 
Buddha's  worshipers,  they  were  also  designed  as 
memorials  to  the  great  Shoguns,  lyeyasu  and  his 
grandson  Lyemitsu,  military  rulers  of  Japan  long 
before  the  coming  of  Perry  or  the  restoration  of 
the  empire.  What  their  particular  claim  to  great- 
ness was  I  know  not,  nor  does  it  much  matter. 
Whatever  it  may  have  been,  it  can  truly  be  said 
they  did  not  live  in  vain.  This  lega'cy  of  beauty 
which  they  inspired,  and  which  now  marks  their 
tomb,  has  proven  and  will  prove  a  source  of  joy 
and  gladness  to  untold  generations  of  men.  Such  a 
creation  must  work  for  goodness  and  for  higher 
ideals  of  life  and  conduct,  whoever  or  whatever  the 
deity  that  sits  enthroned  therein. 

We  left  for  Yokohama  at  one  o'clock  and  were 
aboard  the  Hancock  shortly  after  eight,  having  been 
absent  three  days.  Our  outing  had  proved  a  per- 
fect one,  and  we  were  inclined  to  commiserate  with 
others  of  the  party  who  lacked  the  enterprise  to 
make  the  trip. 


May  75,  igoo. 
Today  we  shopped  and  further  explored  Yoko- 
hama.    In  the  afternoon  most  of  our  party  attended 
the   opening   of   the   Summer   Race    Meet.      These 
races   occur  once   every   four  months,    and   are,    it 

[26] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

seems,  the  smart  event  of  Yokohama  society. 
Whether  the  peope  in  this  part  of  the  world  enjoy 
sport  more  than  the  average  citizen  elsewhere,  or 
whether  it  results  from  paucity  of  diversions,  there 
seems  to  be  far  greater  interest  in  racing  and  kin- 
dred sports  in  the  East  than  at  home.  The  after- 
noon was  a  perfect  one,  and  the  crowd  cosmopolitan 
to  a  degree.  One  saw  Germans,  Englishmen,  Amer- 
icans, and  representatives  of  practically  every  Euro- 
pean nation,  as  also  every  type  of  Oriental,  each 
with  his  or  her  own  peculiar  bearing  and  dress.  The 
track  is  on  a  high  plateau  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  and  offers,  among  other  beautiful  views,  a 
splendid  outlook  on  the  snow-capped  peak  of 
Fujiyama. 

That  night  a  number  of  us  made  a  tour  of  Theater 
Street,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  of  all  the  thor- 
oughfares of  Yokohama.  It  is  full  of  shops, 
bazaars,  and  shows  of  various  kinds,  and  gives  one 
a  sight  of  native  life  unalloyed.  At  one  point  we 
left  our  rickshaws  and  started  to  walk,  but  soon 
found  ourselves  almost  suffocated  by  the  crowd  that 
gathered  about  us.  We  proved  as  great  attractions 
to  them,  evidently,  as  they  to  us.  Before  returning 
we  climbed  the  old  Shinto  temple  on  the  hill  of 
Nogiyama,  where  a  festival  of  some  kind  was  in 
progress.  Everything  looked  weird  and  strange  as 
seen  by  the  fitful  light  of  lamp  and  torch.  The 
city  and  bay,  however,  were  flooded  in  a  glorious 
moonlight,  and  as  we  looked  out  upon  the  scene  we 
felt  what  the  Germans  call  die  Freiide  des  Lehens. 

[27] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

May  1 6,  I  goo. 
The  members  of  the  Commission  and  wives  went 
to  Tokio  today  to  be  presented  to  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  —  a  ceremony  reported  as  full  of  reciprocal 
expressions  of  kindliness  and  good  will.  The  shop- 
ping fever  occupied  the  rest  of  us  most  of  the  day. 
Compared  with  prices  In  the  States,  everything  seems 
remarkably  cheap,  while  the  art  of  making  their 
wares  attractive  has  been  reduced  to  a  science  by 
these  people.  The  temptation  to  buy  and  buy,  and 
that  very  often  what  you  neither  need  nor  want.  Is 
certainly  very  great.  The  fact  also  that  there  Is  a 
sliding  scale  of  prices  makes  your  buying  something 
of  a  lottery.  Their  usual  procedure  is  to  ask  a 
certain  figure,  followed,  when  you  start  away,  by 
the  query,  "How  much  you  give?"  Often,  simply 
to  rid  yourself  of  an  importunate  vendor,  you  men- 
tion a  price  so  small  as  to  seem  ridiculous,  only  to 
find  your  offer  accepted  and  yourself  saddled  with 
something  you  had  no  idea  whatever  of  getting. 
Our  ship  during  evenings  was  usually  transformed 
Into  a  sort  of  fair  for  the  exhibition  of  purchases 
and  a  comparison  of  prices,  the  widely  different  cost 
of  like  articles  often  proving  a  revelation.  In  this 
regard  those  of  our  crowd  who  hailed  from  New 
England  showed  to  advantage. 


May  ij,  igoo. 
Last  day  in  Yokohama.     A  small   party  of  us 
decided  to  go  to  Kamakura,  a  little  town  about  an 

[28] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

hour's  ride  by  train  from  Yokohama.  It  is  here 
they  have  a  great  bronze  Buddha,  said  to  be  the 
largest  bronze  figure  in  the  world.  The  village  was 
once  famous  for  its  magnificent  temples,  but  in  1495 
the  buildings  were  swept  away  by  a  tidal  wave  and 
never  restored.  Only  the  great  Buddha  and  the 
stone  foundations  of  the  temples  are  left.  We  saw 
the  Buddha  and  were  not  disappointed.  It  is  about 
fifty  feet  high,  only  the  upper  half  of  the  figure  be- 
ing represented.  The  expression  given  the  work  is 
remarkable  considering  its  proportions.  A  writer 
speaking  of  it  says:  "No  other  work  gives  such  an 
impression  of  majesty  or  so  truly  symbolizes  the 
central  idea  of  Buddhism  —  the  intellectual  calm 
which  comes  of  perfected  knowledge  and  the  subju- 
gation of  all  passion."  It  is  referred  to  as  the  Dai- 
Butsu.  It  is  situated  in  a  little  grove  and  stands 
where  Nature  seems  to  have  intended  —  in  the  open 
air  and  sunlight,  with  the  green  of  tree  and  hill  about 
it,  and  the  wide,  open  sea  in  the  foreground.  I  do 
not  know  whether  it  was  because  we  were  a  bit  tired, 
or  whether  there  was  some  witchery  in  the  soft  air 
and  faintly  stirring  leaves  of  the  trees,  but  all  felt 
as  though  we  would  like  to  stretch  out  and  sleep  in 
the  shadow  of  the  great  Buddha.  Perhaps  some  of 
the  calm  and  quiet  of  that  wonderful  face,  which  has 
looked  down  unchanged  on  so  very  many  of  earth's 
children,  has  finally  given  of  its  peace  and  rest- 
fulness  to  the  place,  and  all  who  come  within  its 
shadow  feel  the  charm.  It  is  pleasant  to  believe 
so,  and  feel  the  restfulness. 

[29] 


•       THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

We  were  back  in  Yokohama  at  one  o'clock,  the 
transport  being  scheduled  to  sail  at  three.  Some  of 
us  had  planned  to  go  from  Yokohama  to  Kobe  by 
rail,  meeting  the  transport  at  the  latter  port.  There 
was  some  sort  of  plague  scare,  however,  which 
threatened  complications,  and  the  scheme  was 
abandoned. 


Kobe,  May  i8,  igoo. 

We  were  within  sight  of  land  most  of  the  day,  the 
sea  being  like  glass.  There  was  very  little  stir 
aboard,  everyone  being  quite  ready  for  a  spell  of 
quiet.  We  passed  into  Osaka  Bay  early  in  the  eve- 
ning and  anchored  off  Kobe  at  nine  o'clock.  Shortly 
afterward  the  quarantine  offic*ers  came  aboard,  six 
of  them,  and  a  disagreeable  lot  of  little  men  they 
were.  It  took  over  an  hour  to  satisfy  them  that  the 
transport  was  not  a  hospital  for  infectious  diseases. 
As  it  was  only  a  trifle  over  twenty-four  hours  since 
we  cleared  from  one  of  their  own  ports,  their  zeal 
seemed  somewhat  misplaced.  Nobody  went  ashore 
this  evening.  We  are  to  be  in  Kobe  but  one  day, 
and  some  of  the  crowd  figure  on  rising  early  for  a 
visit  to  Kyoto,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  empire,  two 
hours  distant  by  rail. 


Kobe,  May  ig,  igoo. 
A  number  of  us  caught  the  six-thirty  train   for 
Kyoto.     The  ride,  with  its  further  glimpse  of  the 
country  life  of  the  people,   was  delightful.      It  is 

[30] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

difficult  for  one  in  the  States,  where  land  is  farmed 
on  such  an  extensive  scale,  to  picture  a  landscape 
where  every  particle  of  ground  is  utilized.  It  gives 
the  country  a  neat  and  finished  appearance  as  though 
dressed  for  a  holiday. 

Next  to  Nikko,  Kyoto  has  the  most  famous  tem- 
ples in  Japan,  and  is  quite  a  site  for  purely  native 
industries.  Being  inland,  and  away  from  the  mixed 
life  of  the  ports,  it  has  remained  typically  Japanese. 
We  visited  the  Chionin  and  Higashi-Hongwangi 
temples,  and  they  were  truly  marvels  of  workman- 
ship in  precious  woods,  lacquer,  and  bronze.  To 
describe  them  would  be  to  repeat  much  of  what  was 
said  of  the  temples  of  Nikko.  One  place,  however, 
the  so-called  "Temple  of  a  Thousand  Statues" 
disappointed  us.  At  this  place  a  thousand  figures 
are  arranged  in  rows,  one  above  the  other,  like  ad- 
vertising mediums,  with  nothing  to  relieve  their 
crowded  monotony.  Each  figure  has  sixteen  pairs 
of  small  hands  protruding  from  either  side,  while 
the  whole  is  crowned  by  thirty-two  small  heads. 
This,  according  to  their  count,  makes  33,000  figures. 
The  result  is  not  impressive  and  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  how  an  artistic  people  like  the  Japanese 
could  either  perpetrate  or  perpetuate  such  a  night- 
mare as  that  collection  of  monstrosities. 

Some  of  us  took  luncheon  at  a  native  restaurant. 
There  were  no  chaiis,  nor  were  there  any  knives, 
forks,  or  spoons.  We  were  expected  to  squat  on 
our  feet  and  eat  with  chop  sticks.  We  found  it  about 
as  easy  to  do  the  one  as  the  other.    The  experience 

[31] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

was  more  amusing  than  satisfying,  though  we  man- 
aged to  land  some  part  of  the  food  where  intended. 
We  later  visited  different  shops  where  cloissonne  and 
satsuma  ware  was  being  made.  This  is  not  done  in 
large  factories,  but  in  obscure  little  places  with  few 
workmen.  The  manufacture  is  by  hand  and  repre- 
sents an  infinity  of  toil  and  patience. 

We  returned  to  Kobe  at  four-thirty  and  did  some 
running  about  before  dark,  it  being  after  eight  when 
we  boarded  the  transport.  It  has  been  a  long  day 
and  a  hard  one.  We  sail  at  ten-thirty  tonight  and 
will  be  in  the  Inland  Sea  tomorrow. 


May  20y  igoo. 
Most  people  have  heard  of  the  Inland  Sea  of 
Japan,  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
bodies  of  water  in  the  world.  We  have  spent  the 
entire  day  sailing  its  island-checkered  course,  and  are 
prepared  to  say  that  its  beauties  have  not  been  ex- 
aggerated. It  is  one  maze  of  islands,  some  large 
and  some  mere  dots,  all  a  beautiful  green  and  culti- 
vated to  their  very  summits.  This  is  done  by  ter- 
racing the  hillsides,  which,  with  their  different  crops, 
grading  in  color  from  early  green  to  yellow  harvest, 
make  a  scene  of  surpassing  charm.  Cosy  looking 
little  fishing  villages  nestled  in  the  sheltered  coves, 
while  the  sea  was  alive  with  water  craft  of  various 
kinds.  As  the  transport  ploughed  its  way  through 
the  winding  channels  one  view  followed  another  so 

[32] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

rapidly  that  our  supply  of  superlatives  was  soon 
exhausted.  Just  before  sunset  we  passed  through 
the  straits  of  Shimonoseki  into  the  open  sea.  There 
were  not  many  of  us,  I  imagine,  but  felt  that  another 
red-letter  day  had  been  added  to  the  few  such  treas- 
ured in  life's  calendar.  Tomorrow  morning  we 
reach  Nagasaki. 


Nagasaki,  May  21,  igoo. 

The  harbor  of  Nagasaki  is  a  gem.  It  is  practi- 
cally land  locked,  and  though  in  reality  quite  large, 
the  hills  surrounding  it  make  it  seem  small.  The 
town  lies  strung  along  the  shore  and  on  the  lower 
ranges  of  the  hills.  As  our  transport  anchored  we 
could  see  three  or  four  large  liners  almost  within 
call,  while  several  warships,  among  them  the  Ore- 
gon, were  but  a  short  distance  away.  A  salute  was 
fired  by  the  latter  in  honor  of  the  Commission. 

Every  visitor  to  Nagasaki  is  supposed  to  go  to 
Mogi,  and  most  of  us  did.  Those  who  did  not  were 
unfortunate.  Mogi  is  a  little  fishing  village  about 
two  hours'  ride  by  rickshaw  from  Nagasaki.  It  lies 
across  the  divide,  and  the  winding  road  not  only 
furnishes  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city  and  its  bay 
but  brings  you,  after  many  pleasant  surprises,  to  a 
turquoise  sea  on  the  other  side.  I  have  already 
enthused  so  much  about  Japanese  landscape  that  an 
account  of  this  particular  trip  may  well  be  omitted. 
When  I  say,  however,  that  it  was  one  of  the  most 
delightful  rides  we  have  taken  in  Japan  you  will 

[33] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

understand  it  was  worth  while.  We  were  a  jolly 
crowd  and  the  day  was  perfect. 

In  many  respects  a  rickshaw  is  not  a  sociable  con- 
trivance. You  occupy  it  alone,  and  the  practice  of 
stringing  out  in  single  file  makes  conversation  diffi- 
cult. All  you  see  of  the  person  ahead  is  his  back, 
and  you  cannot  see  the  person  behind  without  twist- 
ing your  neck  almost  out  of  joint.  It  is  a  condition, 
however,  which  sometimes  saves  undue  embarrass- 
ment. In  this  happy  land,  and  particularly  in  the 
country  precincts,  clothing  is  evidently  worn  more 
for  utility  than  to  satisfy  modern  conventions.  As 
it  is  the  "good  old  summer  time"  many  of  the  peo- 
ple dispense  with  most  of  their  clothes  —  more,  in 
fact,  than  orthodox  practice  or  police  surveillance 
at  home  would  permit.  The  result  was  a  series  of 
living  pictures  somewhat  startling  to  persons  whose 
education  had  been  along  different,  even  if  less 
logical,  lines. 

We  returned  to  the  transport  in  the  late  after- 
noon and  found  it  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  men, 
women,  and  children  loading  coal.  Their  method  of 
handling  the  coal  is  unique.  It  is  brought  alongside 
in  large  barges,  which  also  bring  the  aforesaid  swarm 
of  people.  Platforms  are  swung  down  the  sides  of 
the  vessel,  upon  which  a  line  of  men  and  women 
range  themselves  one  above  the  other.  The  coal  is 
shoveled  into  baskets  and  then  tossed  from  hand  to 
hand  up  this  line  of  people  until  finally  dumped  into 
the  bunkers.  The  baskets  are  not  large,  but  as 
there  is  a  constant  stream  of  them  going  up  from 

[34] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

each  barge  the  aggregate  loaded  in  an  hour  must 
be  large.  Notwithstanding  the  work  is  hard  and  the 
pay  small,  everyone  seemed  happy  and  good-natured. 
It  was  an  interesting  performance,  the  constant 
movement  fascinating  you  like  the  break  of  waves  on 
a  shore. 

This  evening  there  was  a  wonderful  sunset.  The 
sky  lit  up  as  with  flame  and  the  waters  of  the  bay 
took  on  a  strange  purple  hue.  The  sight  recalled 
those  lines  of  old  Omar  where  he  speaks  of  "The 
seas  that  mourn  in  flowing  purple,  of  their  Lord 
forlorn."  It  made  a  reality  of  what  had  before 
seemed  a  poet's  fancy. 


Nagasaki,  May  22,  igoo. 

This  day,  our  last  in  Nagasaki  and  Japan,  was  full 
of  comings  and  goings.  The  old  temples  on  the 
hilltop,  the  tortoise  shell  shops,  and  the  tea  houses, 
all  had  their  devotees.  For  the  evening  a  "  Geisha  " 
dance  had  been  arranged,  which  quite  a  number  at- 
tended. The  place  was  prettily  located  far  up  the 
hillside  and  gave  us  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  har- 
bor as  they  appear  at  night.  On  entering  we  re- 
moved our  shoes,  spending  the  rest  of  the  evening 
in  our  stocking  feet.  We  were  ushered  into  a  large, 
beautifully  decorated  room,  spread  with  the  softest 
of  mattings.  There  were  no  chairs,  simply  cushions 
on  the  floor.  A  true  "  Geisha  "  dance  is  really  not  a 
dance  at  all  but  a  dinner,  the  different  courses  being 
interspersed  with  music  and  dancing  by  the  Geisha 

[35] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

girls.  As  ours  was  a  typical  performance,  we  were 
served  with  a  regular  Japanese  dinner,  consisting  of 
twelve  or  more  courses.  A  taste  of  the  different 
dishes  sufficed  for  most  of  us,  but  as  we  were  limited 
to  chopsticks  there  was  little  danger  of  overeating. 
The  Geisha  girls  are  specially  trained  for  their  vo- 
cation from  earliest  childhood.  Their  dancing,  or 
whatever  it  might  be  termed,  consists  of  a  swaying 
of  the  body,  with  a  weaving  of  the  hands  and  arms, 
all  of  which  represents  to  them  a  portrayal  of  differ- 
ent feelings  and  emotions.  This  posturing  is  accom- 
panied by  music  upon  stringed  instruments,  and  a 
form  of  singing  or  chanting  which  sometimes  rises  to 
a  weird  wail  —  all  intended  to  describe  the  develop- 
ment of  the  plot.  The  little  girls  who  performed 
for  us  were  dressed  in  the  brightest  and  daintiest  of 
kimonas,  and  looked  like  tropical  flowers  or  sprites 
from  fairyland.  In  the  intervals  of  the  dance  they 
would  sit  in  front  of  us  and  smile  and  look  happy. 
The  scene  and  experience  constituted  a  fitting  fare- 
well to  Japan,  for  it  left  us  with  a  picture  that  was 
bright  and  full  of  life,  typical  of  this  people.  It  is  a 
strange  and  picturesque  land,  and  that  traveler  must 
be  blase  indeed  who  cannot  find  here  much  to  stir 
his  interest  and  imagination.  What  our  experiences 
have  been  I  have  tried  in  brief  fashion  to  set  down. 
The  various  side  lights,  however  —  the  many  amus- 
ing incidents  bound  to  happen  amid  such  novel  sur- 
roundings—  are  impossible  to  detail.  They  go  to 
make  up  the  "unwritten  history"  of  every  such  trip, 
and  are  the  heritage  of  those  only  who  share  them. 

[36] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Hong  Kong,  May  26,  igoo. 

We  reached  Hong  Kong  late  tonight,  but  will  not 
land  until  morning.  The  four  days'  run  from 
Nagasaki  has  been  a  delightful  one.  In  this  we 
were  fortunate,  as  this  stretch  of  China  sea  is  usu- 
ally rough.  After  nearly  two  weeks  of  rush  and 
scattered  interests  in  Japan,  it  seemed  good  to  be 
together  again  and  resume  the  pleasant  routine  of 
ship  life.  As  we  sailed  south  the  weather  grew 
warmer  and  white  clothes  again  predominated.  The 
sunsets  have  been  beautiful,  that  of  last  evening 
being  a  mass  of  deep  red  which  streamed  outward 
from  the  horizon,  filling  the  whole  western  sky  with 
wonderful  cloud  pictures.  One  of  these  took  the 
form  of  a  blood-red  lake  dotted  with  tiny  islands, 
which  kept  its  formation  for  nearly  half  an  hour. 

We  are  now  within  touch  of  Asia,  that  ancient 
land  which  typifies  all  that  is  old  and  mysterious  in 
human  history.  It  is  rather  odd  to  feel  that  rivers, 
towns,  and  peoples  we  have  associated  so  long  with 
geographies  and  picture  books  have  now  become 
something  real  and  palpable.  Tonight  we  look 
across  the  harbor  and  see  the  lights  of  Hong  Kong 
gleaming  tier  on  tier  far  up  against  the  skyline.  It  is 
a  charming  spectacle,  and,  as  on  that  other  night  in 
Yeddo  Bay,  we  wonder  what  the  morrow  will  bring. 


[37] 


Ill 

HONG  KONG  TO  MANILA 

Hong  Kong,  May  27,  igoo. 

T_rONG  KONG  is  a  monument  to  the  energy  and 
•*■  '*•  enterprise  of  Englishmen.  In  little  over  a 
half  century  what  was  a  barren,  inhospitable  island, 
inhabited  by  a  few  ignorant  fisher  folk,  has  become 
a  magnificent  city  —  the  trade  and  tourist  center  of 
the  Far  East.  Through  its  harbor  there  passes  an- 
nually a  tonnage  of  ships  second  only  to  that  of 
Liverpool.  Its  rugged  and  precipitous  hillsides  have 
been  parked  and  terraced  and  are  now  the  site  of 
great  business  houses  and  beautiful  homes.  Splendid 
macadam  roads  and  thoroughfares  wind  over  and 
about  the  island,  a  tribute  to  the  skill  of  English 
engineers.  Along  its  busy  streets  there  constantly 
passes  an  array  of  humanity  as  motley  and  pictur- 
esque as  the  world  offers,  for  this  far  outpost  of 
England  is  the  crossroads  of  the  nations.  The  town 
as  seen  from  the  harbor,  or  the  harbor  as  seen  from 
the  town,  make  equally  striking  pictures.  The  fact 
that  so  many  of  the  streets  run  up  and  down  intro- 
duced to  us  a  new  mode  of  transportation  —  i.  e.,  the 
sedan  chair,  which  somehow  impresses  as  being  a 
very  luxurious  mode  of  travel.     The  highest  point 

[38] 


THE    PlliLiPPlNE    COMMISSION 

of  the  island  is  known  as  "The  Peak,"  and  is  some 
2,000  feet  above  the  bay.  It  is  reached  by  a  cable 
tramway,  which  runs  at  what  seems  an  almost  im- 
possible angle.  You  have  the  feeling  when  riding 
it  that  your  car  is  likely  at  any  time  to  drop  off  into 
space.  In  seeking  this  tramway  we  told  our  chair 
coolies  to  take  us  to  the  station.  Whether  acting 
on  past  experiences,  or  simply  through  natural 
cussedness,  they  took  us  to  the  police  station  instead. 
Without  arguing  that  we  might  not  land  there  even- 
tually, we  did  persuade  them  it  was  not  our  immedi- 
ate destination.  Ascending  to  the  Peak,  we  had 
another  of  those  views  which  seem  to  appeal  to  me 
as  a  bit  better  than  anything  previously  seen.  It 
was  a  bright,  clear  day,  and  the  island,  the  city,  the 
bay  and  its  shipping,  and  the  mainland  of  China 
beyond,  were  spread  before  us  like  a  vivid  chiseled 
etching.  If  there  are  finer  outlooks  they  can  easily 
be  numbered. 

We  took  tiffin  at  the  Peak  Hotel  and  were  served 
a  number  of  new  dishes.  Among  the  fruits  was 
the  mangosteen,  described  by  one  writer  as  being 
the  last  and  most  perfect  effort  of  the  Creator  in  the 
fruit  kingdom.  They  certainly  were  delicious.  Most 
of  the  people  about  us  were  English,  and  we  re- 
garded them  with  some  interest  as  evidencing  the 
effects  of  a  tropical  climate.  They  all  had  a  certain 
v/hite,  washed-out  look  different  from  the  usual 
ruddy  English  complexion.  We  saw  in  them  replicas 
of  what  we  would  likely  be  in  a  couple  of  years. 

In  the  late  afternoon  we  took  rickshaws  and  rode 

[39] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

out  to  "Happy  Valley,"  where  the  race  course  and 
the  cemetery  adjoin.  Afterward  we  visited  the 
purely  Chinese  section  of  the  city,  where  we  could 
well  imagine  ourselves  separated  by  infinite  distance 
from  civilization  as  we  had  lived  it.  We  returned  to 
the  Hancock  in  a  native  sampan.  These  boats  are 
used  not  only  for  transportation  but  for  family  life 
as  well.  Many  families.  It  seems,  know  no  other 
home.  Babies  sprawl  about  the  deck  or  dangle  in 
most  uncomfortable  attitudes  upon  their  mother's 
back  as  she  wields  an  oar.  It  Is  not  the  cleanest  way 
to  travel,  and  when  seven  of  us  got  Into  one  of  them 
it  was  more  of  an  experience  than  a  joy. 


May  28,  igoo. 

The  weather  is  warm,  the  hottest  we  have  yet 
experienced.  The  Chinese,  who  constitute  the  bulk 
of  the  population,  go  scantily  clad,  most  of  them 
wearing  nothing  above  the  waist.  Many  of  our 
party  have  put  in  their  time  shopping,  Hong  Kong 
being  a  free  port  and  prices  comparatively  low.  This 
Is  particularly  true  of  clothing  and  furniture,  of 
which  quite  a  supply  Is  being  secured. 

A  few  of  us  are  organizing  a  trip  to  Canton, 
ninety  miles  up  the  river.  The  plan  is  to  leave  on 
the  six  o'clock  boat  this  evening. 


May  JO,  igoo. 
The  trip  to  Canton  was  made  as  scheduled  and 
proved  the  most  truly  oriental  of  anything  thus  far 

[40] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

seen.  We  were  there  able  to  realize  just  what  is 
meant  by  the  expression,  "the  teeming  millions  of 
the  Orient."  The  ride  up  the  river  from  Hong 
Kong  was  delightful.  Our  boat  was  commodious, 
and  the  captain,  who  has  sailed  these  eastern  waters 
for  seventeen  years,  regaled  us  with  many  strange 
yarns. 

We  reached  Canton  at  six  In  the  morning.  Of 
its  population  of  two  and  a  half  millions,  it  is  esti- 
mated that  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  live  on 
the  river  —  that  is,  are  born,  live,  and  die  on  boats. 
The  water  was  full  of  various  craft,  and  it  was  a 
sight  indescribable.  As  our  boat  anchored  they 
flocked  about  us  like  a  lot  of  beetles,  and  there 
was  the  noise  and  confusion  of  many  tongues. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  the  American  Consul,  who 
came  down  to  meet  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Branagan,  we  all 
took  breakfast  at  the  Consulate.  The  foreign  resi- 
dents of  Canton  live  in  a  district  called  Shamcen, 
separate  from  the  native  city,  and  well  they  need  to. 
There  are  no  vehicles  in  Canton  proper  except  the 
sedan  chair,  the  streets  being  too  narrow  to  admit 
of  even  rickshaws.  From  ten  in  the  morning  until 
after  four  In  the  afternoon  we  saw  and  smellcd 
Canton.  For  guide  we  had  Ah  Cum,  well  versed  in 
English  and  the  devious  paths  of  that  devil  city. 

It  is  hard  to  do  justice  to  the  scenes  and  sensa- 
tions which  came  to  us  on  that  tour.  Before  making 
the  trip  I  had  read  Kipling's  account  of  his  visit. 
appearing  in  From  Sea  to  Sea.  I  thought  he  must 
have  exaggerated  conditions,  but  now  I  know  they 

[41] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

are  true.  Think  what  it  means  to  compress  two  and 
a  half  millions  of  people  within  the  radius  of  what 
would  be  a  small-sized  city  in  the  States !  The  peo- 
ple simply  congest  —  they  swarm.  There  are  no 
parks,  no  wide  thoroughfares.  The  buildings  almost 
overarch  the  alley-like  passageways,  which  are  still 
further  darkened  by  a  plethora  of  multi-colored  ad- 
vertising signs.  Through  these  obscure  channels 
pours  a  constant  stream  of  humanity.  The  day  was 
hot  and  the  odors  that  went  up  from  those  narrow 
lanes  and  from  that  sweltering  mob  were  something 
oppressive  and  appalling.  Most  of  the  people  wear 
a  minimum  of  clothing,  and  all  we  could  see  before 
us  was  a  gleaming  vista  of  human  flesh  and  devil 
faces.  They  stared  at  us  insolently,  and  whenever 
we  stopped  would  crowd  about  us  until  our  nerve 
was  almost  gone.  In  describing  the  effect  created 
upon  him  by  this  scene  Kipling  said:  "  Do  you  know 
those  horrible  sponges  full  of  worms  that  grow  in 
warm  seas?  You  break  off  a  piece  of  it  and  the 
worms  break,  too.  Canton  is  that  sponge."  At 
places  the  streets  would  be  so  narrow  that  two  chairs 
could  not  pass  and  there  would  be  a  blockade.  Our 
coolies,  of  whom  there  were  three  to  each  chair, 
kept  yelling  like  fiends  in  an  effort  to  clear  the  way. 
It  was  a  situation  where  anything  might  have  hap- 
pened without  causing  surprise.  We  visited  a  num- 
ber of  temples,  rich  In  fine  carvings,  as  also  shops, 
where  work  was  being  done  in  ivory,  jade,  and 
precious  woods  so  delicate  that  it  seemed  inconceiv- 
able  the   human   hand   or   human   eye   could   be   so 

[42] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

trained.  At  noontime  we  ate  lunch  (brought  from 
the  ship)  on  the  summit  of  a  pagoda  built  on  the  old 
city  wall.  To  one  side  spread  the  city,  simply  a  sea 
of  housetops,  without  a  sign  of  street  or  tree;  to  the 
other  lay  the  country,  apparently  one  vast  cemetery. 
The  religion  of  China  inculcates  a  worship  or  vener- 
ation of  ancestors,  with  the  result  that  all  their  dead 
must  be  buried  rather  than  cremated.  In  a  country 
where  population  presses  hard  upon  subsistence,  and 
where  a  small  tract  of  ground  means  life  to  thou- 
sands, immense  areas  are  given  over  to  graveyards. 
Not  only  is  the  land  unproductive,  but  works  of 
public  utility  are  often  blocked  because  of  the  dese- 
cration which  would  result  to  these  cities  of  the 
dead. 

Many  other  strange  things  we  saw  in  that  most 
crowded  and  noisome  of  cities — the  old  water  clock, 
the  mortuary,  the  beheading  ground,  the  prison,  etc. 
It  all  seemed  like  some  horrid  dream,  full  of  terri- 
fying images.  That  human  beings  can  pass  from 
childhood  to  age  knowing  nothing  and  seeing  noth- 
ing but  that  place  of  gloom  and  awful  smells  seemed 
almost  beyond  belief.  One  felt  that  in  all  the  wide 
world  there  was  nothing  cheaper  than  human  life. 
It  was  a  relief  to  board  the  boat  and  have  fresh  air 
about  us  again.  We  started  down  the  river  at  four- 
thirty,  and  the  green  landscape  spreading  to  either 
side  seemed  veritable  Elysian  fields  after  the  Inferno 
we  had  left. 

Early  this  morning  we  were  back  in  Hong  Kong. 
Our  trip  had  taken  just  thirty-six  hours,  but  measur- 

[43] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ing  time  by  experience  our  raven  locks  might  well 
have  turned  gray  In  the  Interim.  We  talked  "  Can- 
ton "  and  Its  unique  Interest  so  much  that  those  who 
had  neglected  to  make  the  visit  soon  fled  our  ap- 
proach. 

In  the  afternoon  an  excursion  was  tendered  the 
Commission  and  staff  by  Mr.  GIllIs,  a  wealthy  Eng- 
lishman of  Hong  Kong.  We  made  a  tour  of  the 
bay  and  ran  out  beyond  the  heads.  The  afternoon 
was  pleasant  and  the  crowd  congenial.  The  Queen, 
the  President,  the  Commission,  the  Anglo-Saxon 
alliance,  our  respective  navies,  etc.,  were  all  toasted 
with  appropriate  beverages  and  speeches.  Everyone 
had  a  good  time. 


Hong  Kong,  May  5/,  igoo. 
This  is  our  last  day  in  Hong  Kong.  The  warm 
weather  has  reduced  the  pace  of  the  party  some- 
what, though  the  manifold  charms  of  street  and  shop 
are  hard  to  resist.  In  all  the  exploring,  however, 
no  one  seems  to  have  been  either  concerned  or 
deterred  by  the  fact  that  from  sixty  to  seventy  deaths 
from  bubonic  plague  are  being  registered  daily. 
Whether  we  have  absorbed  some  of  the  fatalism  of 
the  East,  or  simply  regard  the  situation  as  natural 
to  our  new  life,  I  do  not  know.  We  have  moved  a 
long  way  though  from  the  wild  terror  spread  in  San 
Francisco  recently  by  the  unverified  report  of  a  sin- 
gle case  of  plague.  I  remember  how  a  rope  and  a 
cordon  of  police  were  thrown  about  Chinatown  at 

[44] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

four  o'clock  In  the  morning,  shutting  in  most  of  the 
cooks  and  house  boys  of  the  city.  When  it  comes 
to  choosing  between  hysteria  and  plague  there  is 
some  question  as  to  which  can  work  the  most  harm. 
Tomorrow  at  daybreak  we  enter  upon  the  last 
stage  of  our  journey,  Manila  being  two  days'  sail 
to  the  southward.  It  is  to  be  hoped  the  weather 
will  not  grow  correspondingly  hotter.  White  clothes 
and  pith  helmets  are  now  the  regulation  costume  of 
our  party,  the  Hong  Kong  tailors  having  been  well 
patronized.  Mr.  Ferguson  had  an  experience  at  one 
of  the  shops  which  illustrates  how  literally  a  China- 
man follows  instructions.  Having  a  somewhat  large 
waist  measurement,  and  finding  that  his  trousers 
made  in  Japan  had  shrunk  uncomfortably,  he  told 
the  Chinese  tailor  to  "make  them  high" — dra- 
matically striking  his  chest  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  armpits  as  being  about  what  he  wanted.  The 
garment  was  made  accordingly,  and  Is  now  the  joy 
of  everybody  on  board — except  the  owner. 


China  Sea,  June  2,  igoo. 
We  are  due  at  Manila  tomorrow.  The  weather 
is  still  warm  and  everyone  is  dressed  as  lightly  as 
possible.  We  have  now  gotten  down  to  the  strictly 
essential,  as  neither  style  nor  temperate  zone  conven- 
tions find  much  encouragement  In  this  latitude.  Per- 
sonal appearance  has  given  way  largely  to  personal 
comfort.  The  China  Sea,  which  is  usually  turbu- 
lent. Is  as  smooth  as  the  proverbial  mlllpond.     Even 

[45] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Mr.  Dominguez  is  visible,  undeniable  proof  that 
the  sea  is  absolutely  calm.  The  fact  of  greatest 
interest  now,  however,  is  that  within  a  few  miles  of 
us  lie  the  Philippine  Islands.  This  means  not  only 
new  scenes  and  new  experiences,  but  It  means  also  a 
new  home  with  new  and  untried  tasks  and  responsi- 
bilities. All  that  has  transpired  thus  far  has  been 
simply  a  delightful  prologue  to  the  real  perform- 
ance, which  begins  tomorrow.  As  the  lines  for  which 
we  are  cast  are  new,  the  stage  untried,  and  the  tem- 
per of  the  audience  reported  hostile,  there  Is  nat- 
urally some  anxiety  as  to  how  things  are  going  to 
turn  out. 

The  islands  are  now  under  military  government. 
Major  General  Arthur  McArthur  being  the  Com- 
manding General  and  Military  Governor.  The  Com- 
mission, which  is  to  be  the  legislative  body,  with  au- 
thority to  replace  military  rule  as  fast  as  conditions 
warrant,  does  not  take  over  its  duties  until  Septem- 
ber I.  In  the  interim  it  will  study  the  situation  and 
determine  how  best  to  meet  it.  What  the  outcome  of 
the  experiment  will  be  to  our  country,  and  to  the 
members  of  our  little  group,  is  for  the  prophet  or 
the  historian  to  answer.  Certainly  the  established 
order  of  things  has  changed  for  both,  and  conditions 
can  never  be  quite  the  same  again  with  it  or  with  us. 

We  have  been  warned  against  all  possible  sorts  of 
ills.  The  natives  have  been  pictured  as  treacherous, 
the  climate  as  pestilential,  and  earth  and  sky  as  teem- 
ing with  animal  life,  ready,  willing,  and  anxious  to 
destroy  us.     The  last  message  delivered  to  most  of 

[46] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

us  upon  leaving  home  was:  "Now,  if  the  climate 
or  conditions  don't  agree  with  you,  be  sure  and  come 
right  back."  We  will  soon  know  the  best  or  the 
worst,  though  no  one  appears  to  have  any  idea  how 
long  we  are  to  serve.  "Two  or  three  years"  is  the 
usual  conjecture,  which  has  gradually  crystallized 
into  the  belief  that  we  will  be  in  the  Islands  at  least 
two  years.  Well,  whatever  happens,  or  however 
long  or  short  our  stay,  we  have  had  a  most  glorious 
time  getting  here.  The  thought  may  have  obtruded 
that  there  has  been  more  of  pleasure  about  our  trip 
than  of  concern  for  the  problems  we  were  sent  to 
solve.  As  to  all  but  the  immediate  members  of  the 
Commission  this  is  doubtless  true.  For  them  the 
different  stops  have  afforded  opportunities  to  learn 
of  general  conditions  in  the  East  and  to  consult  and 
advise  with  many  persons  concerning  the  work  which 
awaits  at  the  end  of  the  journey.  The  rest  have 
been  free  to  enjoy  their  time  to  the  full,  and  the 
days  have  been  crowded  with  everything  calculated 
to  make  the  experience  unique  and  memorable.  With 
a  fine  ship,  congenial  companions,  and  a  constant 
recurrence  of  novel  and  interesting  sights,  there  has 
been  little  left  to  desire.  As  Stevenson  says,  in 
describing  certain  happy  incidents  on  his  Inland  Voy- 
age: "  We  have  gained  just  so  much  upon  the  whole- 
sale filcher.  Death." 


[471 


IV 

MANILA  AND  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS 

Manila  June  4,  igoo. 
VX/'E  PASSED  the  island  of  Corregldor,  which 
^^  marks  the  entrance  to  Manila  Bay,  shortly 
after  daylight  yesterday.  Everyone  was  on  the  qui 
vive  to  get  a  first  glimpse  of  the  place  and  the  peo- 
ple with  whose  fortunes  we  are  soon  to  be  so 
strangely  united.  It  is  thirty  miles  from  Corregidor 
to  Manila,  which  gives  you  an  idea  of  the  size  of  the 
bay.  On  our  left  as  we  entered  were  the  mountains 
of  Mariveles,  and  further  on  to  the  right  was  Cavite, 
where  Dewey  sank  the  Spanish  fleet.  We  could  see 
the  hulks  and  projecting  masts  of  a  number  of  the 
wrecks  as  we  passed.  Manila  has  no  docks,  and  the 
Hancock  was  compelled  to  anchor  about  a  mile  from 
shore.  Viewed  from  that  distance  the  city  lay 
almost  at  the  water  level,  with  a  range  of  rather  hazy 
mountains  in  the  far  background.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  domes  and  spires  of  numerous  churches, 
and  a  line  of  white  houses  along  the  shore,  very 
little  could  be  seen  from  the  ship. 

After  satisfying  the  quarantine  officials  that  wc 
were  in  good  health  and  spirits  the  yellow  flag  came 
down  and  visitors  began  to  arrive.     These  included 

[48] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

various  delegations  of  Filipinos,  military  officers  and 
newspaper  men.  The  Filipinos  wore  frock  coats 
and  silk  hats  and  made  quite  a  distinguished  show- 
ing. Among  them  were  members  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  various  men  of  prominence  who  have 
allied  themselves  with  the  American  cause.  Greet- 
ings and  expressions  of  good  will  were  duly  ex- 
changed, Mr.  Ferguson  acting  as  interpreter.  His 
fluent  and  sonorous  Spanish,  interspersed  with  well- 
timed  shrugs  and  gestures,  doubtless  convinced  his 
hearers  that  "we  were  armed  and  well  prepared." 
Our  native  visitors  created  a  decidedly  favorable 
impression  both  in  appearance  and  in  their  ease  of 
manner  and  expression. 

Later  in  the  day  the  Commission  went  ashore  to 
return  the  call  of  the  Military  Governor  and  locate 
houses  for  themselves  and  families.  As  there  are 
no  good  hotels  here,  most  of  the  party  has  remained 
on  the  Hancock  pending  some  arrangement  for  quar- 
ters elsewhere.  This  question  of  a  place  to  live  is 
now  the  prevailing  topic.  As  the  supply  of  really 
desirable  houses  in  Manila  never  seems  to  have  been 
plentiful,  the  advent  of  our  army  and  its  following 
has  pretty  well  exhausted  everything  in  sight.  It 
appears  also  that  the  best  accommodations  offered 
have  many  unexpected  features  —  such  as  having  the 
stable  under  the  house,  mediaeval  plumbing,  and  like 
novelties.  When  to  these  drawbacks  are  added  some 
dirt  and  some  dilapidation  you  have  a  combination 
to  drive  the  average  American  housewife  to  tears. 
I  am  fortunately  saved  the  worry  of  an  individual 

[49] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

search,  having  been  invited  to  make  my  home  with 
Commissioner  and  Mrs.  Moses.  As  for  the  rest, 
well,  "  time  and  the  hour  run  through  the  longest 
day." 

Before  closing  I  would  add  that  it  has  been  and 
still  is  hot.  Everybody  looks  wilted.  If  the  past  two 
days  are  a  fair  sample  of  what  we  are  to  expect  there 
will  be  little  left  of  us  in  two  years.  Last  night 
there  was  a  general  exodus  from  the  cabins  onto  the 
deck,  which  early  resembled  a  huge  dormitory.  We 
have  been  somewhat  heartened,  however,  by  the  as- 
surance that  this  is  the  culmination  of  the  "hot  sea- 
son," and  that  the  climate  is  generally  quite  pleas- 
ant. It  is  so  usual,  however,  to  picture  things  of 
this  nature  as  exceptional  that  we  are  by  no  means 
convinced. 


Manila,  June  12,  igoo. 

Everybody  is  now  ashore  and  located,  though  not 
altogether  settled.  We  have  already  learned  that 
things  don't  "settle"  very  quickly  here,  but  require 
time  and  abundant  patience.  Very  little  has  been 
done  thus  far  beyond  getting  some  first  hand  impres- 
sions of  Manila  and  of  the  life  into  which  we  have 
been  plunged.  There  is  certainly  plenty  of  novelty 
and  strangeness  about  it.  To  most  of  us,  as  to  peo- 
ple in  the  States  generally,  army  life  and  all  that 
pertains  to  it  have  been  a  sealed  book.  Mere,  how- 
ever, it  is  an  ever-present  reality,  the  city  being  a 
huge  military  camp  swarming  with  khaki-clad  sol- 

[50] 


The   Author   and    His   Daughter 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

diers.  They  patrol  the  streets,  guard  the  public 
buildings,  and  perform  all  the  functions  of  govern- 
ment. We  go  to  bed  to  the  sound  of  taps,  and  wake 
to  hear  the  bugles  sounding  reveille.  Military  au- 
thority is  supreme  —  omnipotent.  To  be  on  the 
streets  after  ten  at  night  is  presumptive  evidence  of 
treason,  anyone  found  abroad  after  that  hour  with- 
out a  pass  being  hustled  to  the  guardhouse.  The 
talk  you  hear  is  of  "  insurrectos,"  and  of  fighting 
here  and  fighting  there.  Manila  itself,  while  per- 
fectly quiet,  is  disturbed  by  constant  rumors  of  con- 
templated attacks.  It  was  currently  reported  and 
believed  that  a  demonstration  against  the  city  was 
to  follow  the  arrival  of  the  Commission  —  just  a 
little  something  to  show  how  welcome  we  were. 
Thus  far,  however,  nothing  has  happened.  We  find 
the  army  view  of  the  situation  decidedly  pessimistic. 
They  think  it  will  take  years  to  crush  the  insurrection 
and  restore  public  order.  This  would  mean  the 
indefinite  continuance  of  military  rule  —  a  prospect 
apparently  much  more  alluring  to  many  of  our  offi- 
cers than  the  advent  of  civil  government. 

Manila  has  an  estimated  population  of  over  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  scattered  over  quite  an 
extensive  area.  The  city  is  bisected  by  the  River 
Pasig,  which  is  alive  with  launches,  coasting  vessels, 
and  native  cascoes  and  hancas.  On  the  south  bank 
of  the  river  is  the  old  Walled  City,  known  as  "  In- 
tramuros"  (within  walls),  while  to  the  north  is  the 
general  shopping  district.  There  are  very  few  stores 
in  the  walled  city,  which  is  given  over  largely  to 

[51] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

churches,  convents,  schools,  government  offices,  and 
scattered  private  dwellings.     The  walls,  which  are 
massive  and  well  preserved,   are  surrounded  by  a 
deep  moat  and  penetrated  by  a  number  of  pictur- 
esque gates,  protected  by  drawbridges.     These  lat- 
ter are  still  in  working  order,  the  place  having  af- 
forded a  refuge  to  the  public  In  times  of  trouble  up 
to  that  August  day  when  our  troops  scaled  Its  walls. 
The   buildings   crowded   within   this   enclosure    are 
time-worn  and  discolored,  and  as  you  walk  its  nar- 
row streets,  and  catch  glimpses  of  the  hidden,  mys- 
terious life  behind  the  ponderous  doors  and  grated 
balconies,  you  can  well  Imagine  the  centuries  have 
been   arrested   and   you   are   back   in   the   days   of 
Charlemagne  or  Charles  the  Bold.    The  city  outside 
the  walls,  however,  has  no  such  reposeful  air,   its 
streets  being  thronged  with  people  and  vehicles  of 
all  kinds.     The  natives,  though  not  particularly  pre- 
possessing, have  an  alert  carriage,  with  something 
of  the  Spaniard's  suavity  and  grace  of  manner.  The 
men  of  the  lower  class  dress  in  white  cotton  trousers 
and  a  more  or  less  transparent  shirt,  usually  worn 
outside  the  trousers.     The  costume  of  the  women 
consists  of  a  sort  of  waist  with  wide  sleeves  and  a 
rather  narrow  skirt  —  bright  colors  predominating. 
Shoes  and  stockings  seem  to  be  almost  unknown; 
the  nearest  approach  to  the  former  being  a  sort  of 
slipper  without   heels   called   chinelas.      Small   chil- 
dren either  wear  no  clothes,  or  what  they  do  flourish 
is  so  abbreviated  and  transparent  as  to  excite  won- 
der why   they   wear   anything   at   all.      The   upper 

[52] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

classes  dress  much  as  we  do,  except  that  the  native 
women  and  those  of  mixed  blood,  known  as 
Mestizas,  wear  a  waist  with  stiff,  billowy  sleeves, 
and  a  skirt  tailed  something  like  a  beaver.  As  most 
of  the  Spaniards  in  the  islands  were  connected  either 
with  the  army  or  the  civil  administration,  and  left 
soon  after  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  the  Spanish  element 
is  small.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  Chinese  and 
a  marked  sprinkling  of  other  nationalities.  There 
are  also  racial  blends  whose  ancestral  trees  ramify 
to  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 

The  transportation  facilities  are  decidedly  poor. 
There  is  a  horse  car  line,  but  the  cars  are  so  few 
and  small  and  the  service  so  irregular  that  even  in 
this  land  of  mahana  it  is  a  byword.  There  are  no 
rickshaws.  The  public  vehicles  for  hire  consist  of 
small,  two-wheeled  rattletraps  known  as  carromatas, 
with  an  occasional  broken  down  Victoria.  These 
are  drawn  by  diminutive  horses,  driven  by  a  set 
of  indolent  cocheros,  who  seem  utterly  indifferent 
whether  they  secure  a  fare  or  not.  At  noontime 
most  of  them  absolutely  refuse  a  passenger,  protest- 
ing they  must  go  and  chow.  As  the  distances  are 
great,  and  walking  uncomfortable,  everyone  who 
can  afford  it  keeps  a  vehicle  of  some  sort.  There 
are  in  evidence  also  large  army  wagons,  drawn  by 
towering  American  mules  —  which  usually  crowd 
everything  else  to  the  curb  —  Intermixed  with  a  trail- 
ing procession  of  carabao  carts.  The  carabao  is  a 
large,  meek,  ungainly  animal,  with  wide  branching 
horns  —  the  beast  of  burden  of  the   Islands.     His 

[53] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

gait  is  that  of  the  proverbial  snail,  and  it  is  said  he 
sets  the  pace  for  the  people.  As  a  result  of  all  this 
traffic,  the  streets,  none  too  wide,  are  in  a  state  of 
constant  turmoil  and  congestion. 

There  are  few  buildings  in  the  city  more  than  two 
stories  high,  due  partly  to  the  fact  that  ground  is 
plentiful   and   also   to   fear  of   earthquakes.      The 
various  public  buildings  and  churches,  which  abound, 
are  well  constructed,  some  of  the  latter  being  quite 
imposing.     Most  of  the  dwelling  houses  are  built 
flush  with  the  sidewalk  and  their  exterior  is  not  at- 
tractive.    Small,   flat  shells  are  used  for  window 
panes   and   serve   the   purpose   admirably,   shutting 
out  as  they  do  much  of  the  heat  and  glare.     The 
better  class  houses,  being  mostly  windows,  can  be 
thrown  open  to  almost  any  extent  desired.     Ordi- 
nary native  houses  are  built  of  bamboo  with  a  roof 
of  nipa  palm,  and  have  every  appearance  of  comfort 
at  small  cost.    The  frame  houses  of  the  wealthy  and 
the  nipa  shacks  of  the  lowly  adjoin,  there  being, 
apparently,  no  well  defined  residence  section.  There 
is  a  noticeable  lack  of  parks  and  gardens,  nor  is  there 
that   luxuriant   vegetation   one   associates   with   the 
tropics  and  which  we  saw  in  such  abundance  in  Hono- 
lulu.    Few  of  the  streets  are  shaded,  something  in- 
excusable in  a  warm  climate,  where  very  little  effort 
would  accomplish  so  much.     Possibly  the  disturbed 
condition  of  the  country  during  recent  years  is  partly 
responsible  for  this. 

Different  from  Mexico  and  other  countries  ruled 
by  Spain,   Spanish   has  not  become   the   prevailing 

[54] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

language  of  the  people.  It  is  estimated  that  less 
than  five  per  cent  of  the  population  speak  and  read 
Spanish,  the  rest  being  limited  to  their  local  dialects. 
In  and  about  Manila  the  people  are  Tagalogs,  who, 
having  come  into  somewhat  close  contact  with  Span- 
ish influence,  are  said  to  be  more  ambitious  and  rest- 
less than  the  other  tribes.  Many  different  important 
dialects  are  spoken  throughout  the  islands,  a  fact 
which  renders  any  real  union  of  the  people  at  this 
time  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 

Shopping  is  quite  a  problem.  Most  of  the  retail 
business  is  done  by  Chinese,  Spaniards,  and  East  In- 
dians, Filipinos  being  in  a  decided  minority.  In  but 
few  stores  do  they  speak  English,  while  in  none  do 
they  seem  to  have  what  you  want  or  be  able  to  direct 
you  where  to  get  it.  There  are  two  or  three  Amer- 
ican commercial  houses,  but  their  trade  is  confined 
largely  to  liquors  and  canned  goods.  The  army 
people  get  most  of  their  supplies  from  the  commis- 
sary and  quartermaster  departments  —  a  privilege 
extended  to  the  Commission  and  staff  for  the  pres- 
ent. The  large  import  and  export  houses  of  the 
islands  are  mostly  German,  English,  and  Swiss,  with 
one  Spanish  concern  known  as  the  "  Compania 
Tabacalera."  I  imagine  these  foreigners  do  not 
relish  our  occupation  very  much,  as  it  has  seriously 
hampered  their  business.  For  over  a  year  now  most 
of  the  island  ports  have  been  closed  to  commerce  in 
an  effort  to  shut  out  insurgent  supplies  —  offering  a 
strong  incentive  for  contraband. 

Health  conditions  are  fairly  good,  certainly  when 

[S5] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

compared  with  what  they  are  reported  to  have  been 
when  we  took  Manila.  There  is  some  bubonic 
plague,  and  more  or  less  smallpox  —  the  latter  being 
endemic.  The  prevailing  trouble,  however,  is  dysen- 
tery, of  which  there  seems  to  be  a  great  deal.  It  is 
said  that  if  you  are  careful  what  you  eat  and  drink, 
and  live  a  regular  life,  you  can  be  as  well  here  as 
anywhere.  The  only  trouble  about  this  is  that  you 
cannot  always  be  sure  just  what  you  are  eating  and 
drinking. 

About  the  only  diversion  we  have  is  driving  on 
the  Luneta  and  Malecon.  The  Luneta  is  a  large 
oval  on  the  bay  shore,  where  the  band  plays  in  the 
evening.  The  Malecon  is  a  palm-bordered  drive- 
way about  a  mile  long,  extending  along  the  bay 
from  the  Luneta  to  the  river.  Between  six  and 
seven-thirty  there  is  a  constant  procession  of  car- 
riages moving  to  and  fro,  or  anchored  at  some  spot 
convenient  to  the  music.  At  that  hour  the  land 
breeze  cools  the  air,  and  the  sun,  sinking  behind 
the  mountains  of  Mariveles,  paints  wonderful  pic- 
tures in  sea  and  sky.  Everyone  you  know  is  in  evi- 
dence, and  informal  visits  from  carriage  to  carriage 
are  eyi  regie.  Among  Americans  the  military  element 
predominates.  There  are  more  Captains,  Majors, 
and  Colonels  here  than  we  had  any  idea  existed  be- 
fore our  coming.  They  make  a  fine  appearance  in 
their  white  dress  uniforms,  the  few  scattered  civilians 
in  plain  duck  being  quite  inconspicuous  in  compari- 
son. The  ladies  —  of  whom  there  arc  already  quite 
a  number  —  all  dress  in  white,  and  most  of  them 

[56] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

very  sensibly  dispense  with  hats.  Altogether  it  is  an 
animated  scene  and  one  of  the  most  delightful  fea- 
tures of  Manila  life.  The  program  closes  each  eve- 
ning with  the  "  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  when  every- 
one uncovers  and  stands  at  attention.  It  takes  some 
such  environment  as  this  —  a  strange  land  with  an 
atmosphere  of  war  —  to  make  one  properly  appreci- 
ate just  what  our  country  and  our  flag  really  mean 
to  us.  He  would  certainly  be  a  poor  American  who 
did  not  thrill  as  he  heard  the  strains  of  that  final  tri- 
umphant melody  swell  out  upon  the  tropic  night,  and 
thought  of  all  the  heroism  and  sacrifice  its  music 
spells.  The  feeling  stirred  has  something  of  conse- 
cration about  it,  and  leaves  you  a  better  American, 
and  more  jealous  of  your  country's  welfare  and 
honor  than  you  were  before.  There  is  one  song 
though  which  we  have  not  heard  and  which  the  band 
never  plays  —  i.  e.,  "Home,  Sweet  Home."  Home- 
sickness is  too  present  and  real  a  thing  among  our 
people  here  to  either  require  or  stand  any  artificial 
stimulant.  As  to  theaters  and  similar  attractions, 
the  ten  o'clock  curfew  law  effectually  eliminates  them 
for  the  present. 

Commissioner  and  Mrs.  Moses  have  secured  a 
house  on  the  bay  shore  just  beyond  the  Luneta.  We 
are  now  in  the  throes  of  painting,  plumbing,  etc.,  the 
different  workmen  being  imbued  with  the  idea  evi- 
dently that  it  is  to  be  a  life  job.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  mosquitoes  we  have  not  found  the  insect  life 
either  numerous  or  voracious.  Mosquito  netting, 
however,  is  indispensable  for  the  beds.     The  first 

[57] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

few  nights  we  were  without  it,  and  the  experience 
was  trying  upon  our  disposition  and  our  religion. 
The  regulation  Filipino  bed  is  of  split  bamboo  on 
which  you  spread  a  fiber  mat  and  a  sheet.  Some 
pretend  to  like  them  and  claim  they  would  use  none 
other.  For  a  beginner,  however,  it  is  like  sleeping 
on  a  board,  which  is  not  agreeable  for  a  thin  person 
with  exposed  angles. 

The  hot  season  is  still  "  culminating,"  and  it  would 
require  great  optimism  to  pronounce  it  comfortable. 


[58] 


Provincial    Traiispoiiation,    Carabao   Sled 


Gate,  \\'alled  C'itv 


EARLY  INCIDENTS  AND  PROBLEMS 

Manila,  July  i,  igoo. 
^  I  ^HE  Commission  is  now  installed  In  the  Ayun- 
-^  tamiento  —  the  old  "  Palacio  "  or  government 
building  in  the  Walled  City.  It  is  also  the  military 
headquarters  and  furnishes  a  scene  of  activity  such 
as  was  never  witnessed  by  the  old  Spanish  Dons, 
whose  portraits  still  adorn  its  walls.  From  all  ac- 
counts, administrative  affairs  ran  a  very  leisurely 
and  sleepy  course  under  the  old  regime.  For  nearly 
three  hundred  years  Spain  ruled  the  Islands  with 
little  or  no  protest  from  the  natives,  and  with  but 
two  or  three  slight  differences  with  outsiders.  At 
the  time  of  our  occupation,  however,  the  islands  were 
and  had  been  for  some  years  in  a  state  of  insurrec- 
tion, the  scattered  uprisings  of  the  people  having 
finally  merged  Into  the  more  or  less  general  revolu- 
tion of  1896.  The  events  following  our  occupation 
are  familiar  history.  The  people,  already  in  arms, 
and  misled  as  to  our  purposes  by  both  church  and 
secular  bodies,  were  persuaded  to  rise  against  our 
authority.  Hostilities  opened  with  the  outbreak  of 
February  4,  1899,  and  gradually  extended  through- 
out most  of  the  Christian  provinces  of  the  ArchI- 

[59] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

pelago.  Our  forces  were  steadily  increased  until 
there  are  now  between  sixty  and  seventy  thousand 
American  troops  in  the  islands,  divided  into  five  hun- 
dred or  more  detachments.  Following  the  capture 
of  the  insurgent  capital  at  Malolos,  and  the  going  of 
Aguinaldo  into  hiding,  all  organized  resistance 
ended,  the  fighting  thereafter  degenerating  into  that 
most  trying  of  all  struggles,  guerrilla  warfare. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  almost  every  native 
is  or  was  actively  or  passively  arrayed  against  us; 
that  the  climate  is  a  tropical  one,  where  heat,  and 
storm,  and  disease  wait  upon  the  path  of  our  sol- 
diers; that  they  are  fighting  upon  unfamiliar  ground, 
most  of  which  is  mountainous  or  rank  with  jungle 
growth ;  that  they  are  ignorant  of  the  language  of  the 
people  and  are  compelled  to  rely  for  information 
upon  the  uncertain  testimony  of  native  guides  and 
interpreters,  some  conception  may  be  had  not  only 
of  the  difficulties  encountered  but  of  the  fortitude 
and  courage  displayed  in  meeting  them.  The  great- 
est trouble  has  been  not  in  routing  scattered  insur- 
gent bands,  but  in  protecting  those  natives  who, 
sincerely  or  otherwise,  profess  adherence  to  our 
cause.  Such  natives  are  truly  between  the  devil  and 
the  deep  sea.  Unless  they  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
they  are  considered  and  treated  as  "  insurrectos," 
while  if  they  do  take  such  oath  they  are  treated  as 
"  Americanistas"  by  the  insurgent  element  and  sub- 
jected to  all  sorts  of  barbarous  treatment.  In  Ma- 
nila there  are  many  natives  who  realize  not  only 
that  armed   resistance  is  useless,  but  who  are  con- 

[60] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

vinced  of  our  good  intentions  toward  them.  Such 
also  exist  outside  Manila,  but  hesitate  to  publicly 
proclaim  their  belief  for  fear  of  violence.  The 
immediate  problem  is  to  create  a  situation  where 
those  in  favor  of  peace  can  safely  say  so,  and  can 
argue  with  their  brethren  in  the  field  not  only  that 
our  intentions  arc  good  but,  by  pointing  to  accom- 
plished facts,  show  the  advantage  of  accepting  our 
authority.  It  is  very  doubtful  if  the  mass  of  the 
people  have  any  interest  in  or  desire  to  continue  the 
insurrection.  They  know  little,  and  probably  care 
less,  about  "independence,"  "equality,"  and  "popu- 
lar government."  They  know  not  what  the  terms 
mean.  The  struggle  is  largely  inspired  and  pro- 
longed by  an  influential  few,  some  of  whom  are 
doubtless  sincere,  but  the  majority  of  whom  hope  to 
ride  into  place  and  power  upon  the  heels  of  our 
withdrawal.  To  convince  these  leaders,  therefore, 
not  only  of  the  futility  of  their  efforts,  but  that  they 
will  have  an  opportunity  to  participate  in  a  govern- 
ment organized  by  us  will  go  far  toward  ending 
hostilities. 

The  Commission,  shortly  after  its  arrival,  issued 
an  announcement  outlining  generally  the  scope  of  its 
powers  and  the  policy  it  would  pursue.  It  was 
stated  that  the  members  of  the  Commission  were 
men  of  peace  and  that  their  work  would  be  confined 
to  regions  in  which  armed  resistance  had  ceased.  To 
such  of  the  people  as  laid  down  their  arms  assurance 
was  given  that  they  would  have  a  full  hearing  as  to 
contemplated  reforms,  and  could  rely  upon  the  jus- 

[6i] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

tice,  generosity,  and  clemency  of  the  United  States 
in  its  dealings  with  them.  Suggestions  were  invited 
from  Filipinos,  and  from  others,  as  to  needed 
changes  in  legislation  and  in  the  organization  of  the 
various  departments  of  government.  In  the  interim 
until  September  the  various  subjects  calling  for 
investigation  were  assigned  to  the  different  Commis- 
sioners as  follows: 

Taft  —  The  civil  service,  the  friars,  and  public 
lands. 

Worcester — Municipal  corporations,  forestry, 
agriculture,  mining,  and  public  health. 

Wright — Internal  improvements,  franchises, 
militia,  police  and  criminal  code. 

Ide  —  Code  civil  procedure,  courts,  banks  and 
currency,  and  registration  laws. 

Moses  —  Schools  and  taxation. 

Taft,  Wright,  and  Ide — Civil  code. 

The  Commission  —  Central,  departmental,  and 
provincial  governments. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  undertaking  before  the 
Commission  involves  not  only  winning  the  confidence 
of  an  alien  and  a  resentful  people,  but  the  building 
of  a  government  from  its  very  foundations  —  a 
task  seriously  complicated  by  the  unfortunate  mate- 
rial conditions  of  the  country,  and  hindered  and  em- 
barrassed by  the  tirades  of  party  politicians  and  mis- 
taken theorists  at  home.  Even  here  the  Commission 
is  apparently  destined  to  be  without  cordial  support 
from  those  upon  whom  it  should  be  able  to  rely.  It 
was  natural  that  the  natives  should  not  receive  us 

[62] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

with  open  arms,  but  there  was  every  reason  to  believe 
our  army  brethren  would  welcome  the  cooperation 
of  the  Commission  in  restoring  orderly  government, 
and  would  work  in  harmony  with  it.  Instead,  we 
have  found  the  atmosphere  at  the  military  end  of 
the  corridor  decidedly  chilly,  our  welcome  being 
severely  restricted  to  what  the  "regulations"  pre- 
scribe. Whether  it  is  because  they  are  jealous  of 
dividing  their  power,  or  because  they  consider  the 
appointment  of  the  Commission  a  reflection  upon 
their  ability  to  handle  the  situation  (a  statement 
attributed  to  the  Military  Governor),  the  fact  re- 
mains that  we  are  regarded  by  most  army  officers  as 
interlopers.  They  seem  to  have  marked  the  place 
for  their  own  indefinitely. 


Manila,  July  15,  igoo. 
We  are  now  enjoying  some  of  the  delightful 
weather  promised  us  on  arrival.  The  rains  are  here, 
cooling  the  air  and  washing  the  sky  into  a  deep  blue, 
unlike  anything  seen  in  northern  climes.  We  have 
had  two  typhoons,  but  aside  from  a  torrential  down- 
pour of  rain  they  proved  harmless.  Despite  the 
lower  temperature  there  is  no  call  for  anything  but 
the  lightest  clothes.  The  other  day  the  Commission- 
ers made  some  formal  call  dressed  in  frock  coats 
and  silk  hats,  and  returned  to  the  Ayuntamiento 
heated  throughout  and  dripping  with  perspiration. 
When  they  went  into  session,  Judge  Taft,  as  chair- 
man, called  for  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  there- 

[63] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

after,  no  matter  what  the  occasion,  frock  coats  and 
silk  hats  be  neither  worn  nor  required.  With  some 
slight  protest  from  Commissioner  Ide,  whose  resi- 
dence in  "Samoa"  has  won  him  the  position  of 
censor  in  matters  of  official  etiquette,  the  resolution 
was  adopted.  If  adhered  to  it  will  prove  quite  a 
departure  from  the  pomp  and  splendor  with  which 
officialdom  arrayed  itself  in  the  old  days. 

The  month  and  a  half  in  Manila  has  already 
begun  to  work  changes  in  the  Commission  house- 
hold. The  position  of  Secretary,  which  was  vacant, 
has  been  given  to  our  Spanish  Secretary,  Mr.  Fer- 
gusson,  who  will  fill  both  places.  Mr.  A.  R.  Cotton 
of  San  Francisco,  now  of  Manila,  has  been  added 
to  the  translating  department,  while  Mr.  Beekman 
Winthrop  of  Boston,  en  route  around  the  world,  has 
temporarily  joined  forces  with  us.  Dr.  F.  W.  Atkin- 
son of  Massachusetts  has  been  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  and  is  now  on  the 
ground.  Mr.  Coffman,  Judge  Taft's  private  secre- 
tary, left  for  the  States  on  the  last  transport.  As 
there  is  no  "secretary"  material  in  Manila,  I  recom- 
mended Mr.  Fred  Carpenter  of  San  Francisco  for 
the  place,  and  he  was  cabled  for  accordingly.  There 
is  some  fitness  in  all  this,  for  it  was  Carpenter  who 
first  suggested  that  I  apply  for  a  position  with  the 
Commission. 

There  is  much  excitement  now  over  the  Boxer 
outbreak  in  China  and  the  fate  of  the  legations  at 
Pckin.  Two  regiments  of  troops  have  gone  forward 
from  Manila  and  will  be  among  the  first  in  the  field. 

[64] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

This  is  one  advantage  at  least  of  having  soldiers  in 
this  part  of  the  world. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  celebrated  in  Manila,  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  being  read  in  both 
English  and  Spanish.  While  "expansion"  may  be 
all  right,  and  while  our  attitude  toward  this  people 
is  doubtless  the  result  of  inevitable  necessity  and  for 
their  ultimate  good,  it  nevertheless  seems  like  rub- 
bing it  in  a  bit  to  spring  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence on  them  at  this  time.  They  may  appre- 
ciate eventually  that  it  is  our  purpose  to  give  them 
all  the  rights  for  which  that  document  stands,  and 
in  far  greater  measure  than  they  could  themselves 
achieve,  but  until  that  time  comes  it  would  seem  good 
taste  not  to  shout  so  loudly  about  what  our  ancestors 
did  in  1776.  The  Commissioners  took  this  view  of 
the  case,  and  were  roundly  criticised  therefor  by  the 
American  press  of  Manila.  They  were  told  that 
"lost  opportunities  never  return,"  meaning,  doubt- 
less, that  they  would  be  taboo  from  now  on. 


Manila,  August  i,  igoo. 
Sometime  in  June  the  Military  Governor,  acting 
under  instructions  from  Washington,  issued  an  Am- 
nesty Proclamation  whereby  all  natives  in  arms  were 
granted  ninety  days  within  which  to  present  them- 
selves and  take  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States.  To  those  who  took  such  oath  full  pardon 
was  promised  for  past  offenses  and  a  fresh  start 
guaranteed.     A  number  of  prominent  natives  have 

[65] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  among  them 
one  Pedro  A.  Paterno,  who  was  President  of  the 
Filipino  Congress  at  Malolos.  He  has  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  an  able  man,  but  decidedly  unreliable. 
In  a  burst  of  apparent  gratitude  over  the  granting 
of  the  Amnesty,  he  announced  that  he  would  give  a 
"  Fiesta  "  to  celebrate  the  event,  such  fiesta  to  consist 
of  a  parade,  Illuminations,  arches,  and  a  banquet  In 
honor  of  the  Military  Governor.  This  celebration 
went  into  history  two  days  since,  and  it  will  likely 
be  a  long  time  before  the  echoes  die  away.  It  will 
be  recalled  that  the  Amnesty  was  based  upon  the 
unconditional  acknowledgment  of  our  sovereignty 
in  the  Islands.  Upon  two  or  three  of  the  arches, 
however,  the  pictures  of  Aguinaldo  and  McKInley 
were  placed  side  by  side,  while  most  of  the  other 
arches  bore  Inscriptions  signifying  "  Independence 
under  an  American  Protectorate."  The  military 
authorities  removed  the  pictures  of  Aguinaldo,  but 
permitted  the  inscriptions  to  remain.  The  parade 
did  not  prove  a  great  success,  most  of  the  people 
evidently  considering  such  a  public  expression  of 
their  allegiance  premature  —  whatever  they  may 
have  confessed  privately.  Invitations  to  the  banquet 
were  extended  the  Military  Governor  and  the  Com- 
mission. The  Military  Governor  declined,  but  the 
Commission  accepted  as  guests  after  being  assured 
by  the  Military  Governor  that  the  speeches  to  be 
dehvered  had  been  censored.  It  chanced,  however, 
that  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  set  for  the 
banquet  the  Commission  learned  that  most  of  the 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

proposed  speeches  advocated  the  granting  of  PhiHp- 
pine  independence.  A  letter  was  thereupon  dis- 
patched to  Seiior  Paterno  stating  that  no  American 
with  authority  to  speak  had  ever  by  a  single  word 
held  out  the  idea  that  we  would  grant  independence 
to  the  islands;  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  Com- 
missioners to  be  present  at  a  banquet  where  such 
a  thing  was  suggested  and  by  their  presence  lend 
countenance  to  it.  That  if  they  did  come  they  would 
be  compelled  to  rise  and  denounce  any  such  scheme, 
and  rather  than  do  this  on  an  occasion  where  people 
should  be  convivial,  they  must  withdraw  their  accept- 
ance. In  the  meantime  it  appears  the  Provost  Mar- 
shal had  issued  orders  that  there  should  be  no 
speeches,\v\\\\Q  the  Military  Governor  had  instructed 
that  no  banquet  at  all  be  given  unless  some  member 
of  the  Commission  was  present.  Having  declined  to 
be  present  himself,  it  is  still  unexplained  why  he 
should  attempt  to  saddle  the  burden  of  a  possible 
fiasco  upon  the  Commission.  This  ultimatum 
reached  Paterno  late  in  the  eveninp.  His  guests 
had  assembled,  the  banquet  was  spread,  and  he  held 
in  his  hand  the  notice  of  the  Commissioners  with- 
drawing their  acceptance.  In  this  dilemma  he  posted 
to  Judge  Taft's  house  —  where  Commissioner 
Wright  is  also  stopping  —  and  implored  them  with 
tears  to  come  and  save  the  affair  from  utter  failure. 
This  they  finally  did,  reaching  the  banquet  room 
about  9  :30,  the  guests  having  been  waiting  over  two 
hours.  The  affair,  under  the  circumstances,  was  not 
particularly  hilarious.     The  skeleton  had  obtruded 

[67] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

and  could  not  be  exorcised.  Copies  of  the  proposed 
speeches  were  later  secured,  and  it  would  seem  all 
of  them  must  have  been  written  by  one  person. 
Without  exception  they  advocated  Philippine  inde- 
pendence in  some  form,  a  refusal  of  which  nearly 
two  years  ago  precipitated  the  present  struggle.  One 
of  the  proposed  speeches,  which  will  serve  as  a 
sample  of  the  rest,  is  as  follows: 

The  solution  of  great  problems,  gentlemen,  are 
celebrated  with  great  banquets,  because  it  must  be 
conceded,  however  much  it  may  deride  the  human 
race,  that  satisfaction  is  full  and  complete  only  when 
the  soul  and  body  experience  it  simultaneously.  And 
for  a  better  reason  my  joy  verges  upon  delirium  in 
these  awe-inspiring  moments,  inasmuch  as  I  hope, 
with  the  great  faith  of  well-founded  optimism,  that 
the  splendor  of  joyousness  may  form  itself  into  a 
beautiful  rainbow  of  approaching  happiness  and 
peace.  Yes,  gentlemen,  I  seem  to  see  the  carrier 
dove  with  the  branches  in  its  beak,  coming  toward 
us  across  the  deluge  of  tears,  inundating  the  father- 
land. 

But  in  proportion  as  my  satisfaction  increases  at 
this  moment,  my  soul  turns  to  our  desolated  moun- 
tains, endeavoring  to  gather  as  holy  relics  the  long- 
ing sighs  of  so  many  unknown  martyrs  there  suffer- 
ing untold  sorrows;  my  soul  longs  to  garner  the 
echoes  of  those  mountains,  and  here  in  this  joyous 
banquet  to  interpret  them.  But,  for  what  purpose? 
Why  these  yearnings  we  feel?  One  ideal,  one  sole 
ideal,  unites  and  enkindles  the  consciences  of  the 
good  Filipinos. 

But  I  must  gather  those  sighs  and  translate  those 
echoes,  that  both  the  sighs  and  echoes  may  reach 

[68] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

the  supreme  authorities  of  the  North  American 
nation,  in  order  that  they  may  be  impressed  upon 
the  spirit  of  that  great  people. 

Magnanimous  people !  Thou  who  didst  raise  the 
formerly  unhappy  Liberia  to  the  rank  of  a  free  and 
independent  state;  thou  who  has  shed  thy  blood  to 
redeem  thousands  and  thousands  of  men  from 
slavery;  thou  who  enlightenest  the  world  with  the 
torch  of  liberty;  thou  nation,  great  and  powerful 
nation,  be  the  protector  of  the  Filipino  people;  let 
them  be  protected  by  the  ideals  of  liberty  and  inde- 
pendence and  hear  the  fervent  voice  of  eternal  grat- 
itude; forever  wilt  thou  hear  in  the  Malayan  ambi- 
ent, in  the  mountains,  and  in  the  forest,  these  soul 
cries:  "Long  live  North  America,  protector  of  the 
incipient  Philippine  nationality." 

Just  what  Paterno's  purpose  was  In  all  this  Is 
not  clear.  Whether  he  and  the  other  promoters  of 
the  affair  did  not  understand  the  oath  they  had 
taken,  or  whether  they  hoped  to  place  the  Commis- 
sion at  a  disadvantage,  remains  a  question.  Likely 
the  latter. 

Another  recent  occurrence  also  illustrates  what 
vague  notions  the  brightest  of  these  people  have  of 
what  self-government  involves.  Among  the  most 
inlluentlal  of  the  natives  now  Imprisoned  in  Manila, 
and  who  refuse  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  is 
Apollnarlo  Mabinl.  He  is  a  paralytic,  something  of 
a  student,  and  Is  credited  with  having  been  the  brains 
of  the  Insurrection.  A  few  days  ago  he  expressed 
a  desire  for  an  Interview  with  the  Commission. 
Thinking  possibly  he  was  paving  the  way  to  accept 

[69] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

the  changed  order  of  things,  a  meeting  was  ar- 
ranged. He  is  a  thin,  pale,  ascetic-looking  man,  and 
as  he  was  wheeled  into  the  presence  of  the  Commis- 
sion his  appearance  inspired  sympathy,  as  also  a 
belief  that  his  attitude  was  sincere.  When  asked  his 
purpose  in  seeking  an  interview,  he  entered  into  a 
long  dissertation  concerning  the  principles  of  free- 
dom, liberty,  equality,  and  the  inherent  right  of  indi- 
viduals and  races  to  shape  their  own  destiny.  The 
picture  drawn  by  him  was  a  beautiful  one  from  the 
standpoint  of  a  student  philosopher  dealing  with 
abstract  and  purely  theoretical  problems.  Every 
effort,  however,  to  get  him  to  discuss  the  question 
as  applied  to  concrete  conditions  in  the  islands 
proved  futile.  He^seemed  obsessed  with  the  idea 
that  because  all  peoples  are  endowed  with  certain 
primary  and  admitted  rights,  any  attempt  to  regu- 
late the  exercise  of  those  rights  by  others  was  unjus- 
tifiable. Finally  Judge  Taft  said  to  him:  "But 
suppose,  Sefior  Mabini,  the  Americans  should  with- 
draw and  this  freedom  of  which  you  speak  be 
granted  you,  what  then?  Your  country  is  composed 
of  many  scattered  islands,  some  of  them  inhabited 
by  savages  and  all  of  them  by  people  speaking  dif- 
ferent dialects  and  without  any  cohesion  of  ideas 
or  experience  in  government.  You  occupy  an  ex- 
posed and  coveted  position  in  the  path  of  world 
commerce,  and  would  doubtless  be  called  upon  very 
soon  to  defend  your  nationality.  You  have  many 
foreigners  living  here,  for  whose  lives  and  property 
you  would  be  held  accountable  not  only  from  outside 

ryo] 


c 


u 


E 

c 

> 

o 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

interference,  but  from  the  ambitions  and  jealousies 
of  your  own  people.  To  protect  your  country  from 
these  dangers  you  would  need  an  army  of  consider- 
able strength  and  at  least  the  nucleus  of  a  navy.  All 
these  things,  together  with  the  necessary  expenses 
of  government,  would  cost  a  great  deal  of  money. 
Your  country  and  people  are  poor  and  your  indus- 
tries paralyzed.  Waiving,  therefore,  all  question 
of  your  ability  to  govern  yourselves,  I  would  ask 
how  you  propose  to  raise  the  revenues  necessary  to 
preserve  and  administer  such  a  government?"  To 
this  inquiry  Mabini  simply  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  replied:  "The  question  of  revenue  is  a  mere 
detail."  With  this  the  interview  ended.  The  lesson 
is  one  which  our  so-called  "anti-imperialists"  resid- 
ing in  Boston  and  elsewhere  might  study  to  advan- 
tage. They,  like  Mabini,  reason  altogether  from 
the  theoretical  standpoint,  shutting  their  eyes  to  con- 
ditions as  they  actually  exist  and  must  be  met.  For 
Mabini  there  is  the  excuse  of  ignorance  and  inex- 
perience; for  them  there  is  no  excuse,  as  their  atti- 
tude is  the  result  either  of  political  expediency  or  of 
a  narrow  provincialism  which  judges  everything  by 
the  standards  of  a  particular  environment. 


Manila,  August  14,  igoo. 
Commissioners  Worcester  and  Wright  have  just 
returned  from  Baguio,  Province  of  Benguet,  where 
they  have  been  investigating  the  possibility  of  estab- 
lishing a  "summer  resort"  for  people  living  in  the 

[71] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

lowlands.  They  are  enthusiastic  about  the  place, 
and  their  report  is  fraught  with  vital  interest  to 
every  American  whom  circumstance  may  call  to  pass 
his  life  on  this  our  far-flung  frontier.  If  statistics 
are  to  be  accepted,  the  constant  high  temperature  of 
the  tropics  gradually  saps  the  energy  and  vitality  of 
the  white  races,  leaving  them  broken  In  health  or 
ready  victims  for  the  numerous  germs  and  microbes 
with  which  air  and  water  abound.  It  has  been  stated 
also  that  a  warm  climate  loosens  the  moral  fiber,  and 
causes  a  rapid  degeneracy  in  the  ordinary  standards 
of  conduct.  It  was  President  Jordan  of  Stanford 
University  —  who  opposes  our  expansion  policy  — 
who  said  that  if  a  Methodist  missionary  and  a  New 
England  schoolmarm  should  marry  and  live  in  the 
tropics,  the  third  generation  would  ride  bareback  on 
a  burro  to  see  a  cock  fight  on  Sunday.  However 
this  may  be,  there  is  no  question  but  that  a  tropical 
climate  is  enervating,  and  that  an  occasional  change 
is  imperative  if  health  and  strength  are  to  be  pre- 
served. This  ordinarily  means  a  long  and  costly 
journey,  the  separation  of  families,  and  all  sorts  of 
inconvenience.  Baguio,  which  has  an  elevation  of 
over  five  thousand  feet,  and  is  set  in  the  heart  of 
pine  forests,  is  reported  to  have  a  climate  as  cool  and 
bracing  as  that  of  our  northern  states.  At  present 
it  can  be  reached  only  by  a  circuitous  route  over 
rough  mountain  trails.  It  lies,  however,  but  fifty 
miles  from  Dagupan,  the  terminus  of  a  railway  line 
running  from  Manila.  By  constructing  a  wagon  or 
rail  line  from  this  point  Baguio  will  be  made  easily 

[72] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

accessible,  and  wc  shall  have  this  "Simla"  of  the 
Philippines  at  out  very  doors.  The  Commission, 
realizing  the  importance  of  the  project,  plans  to 
commence  construction  work  as  early  as  practicable. 
Another  difficult  and  somewhat  embarrassing 
problem  facing  the  Commission  is  that  of  the  Friar 
Orders  in  their  relation  to  these  people.  While  at 
first  glance  this  might  seem  a  purely  religious  mat- 
ter, with  which  the  government  has  no  concern,  the 
situation  here  makes  it  a  political  question  of  the 
gravest  character.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  different 
uprisings  of  the  people  during  the  late  regime  were 
directed  not  so  much  against  Spanish  sovereignty 
as  against  what  they  considered  the  intolerable 
abuses  of  the  government  as  represented  by  the 
Friars.  During  the  uprising  of  1895  some  forty 
Friars  were  killed,  and  at  the  time  of  our  occupation 
more  than  four  hundred  were  held  prisoners  by  the 
Filipinos.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Philippine 
Congress  at  Malolos  was  to  confiscate  the  large  land 
holdings  of  the  religious  orders.  Now  that  we  have 
assumed  control,  the  question  of  protecting  these 
orders  in  their  legal  rights,  and  at  the  same  time 
satisfying  the  people  that  we  are  not  siding  with 
those  whom  they  consider  enemies,  becomes  a  most 
delicate  one.  President  McKinley,  in  dealing  with 
the  matter  in  his  Instructions  to  the  Commission, 
said : 

It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  Commission  to  make  a 
thorough  investigation  into  the  titles  to  the  large 
tracts  of  land  held  or  claimed  by  individuals  or  by 

[73] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

religious  orders;  into  the  justice  of  the  claims  and 
complaints  made  against  such  landholders  by  the 
people  of  the  islands,  or  any  part  of  the  people,  and 
to  seek  by  wise  and  peaceable  measures  a  just  settle- 
ment of  the  controversies,  and  redress  of  the 
wrongs,  which  have  caused  strife  and  bloodshed  In 
the  past.  In  the  performance  of  this  duty  the  Com- 
mission is  enjoined  to  see  that  no  injustice  is  done; 
to  have  regard  for  substantial  right  and  equity,  dis- 
regarding technicalities  so  far  as  substantial  right 
permits. 

During  the  past  three  weeks  Judge  Taft  has  had 
interviews  with  the  heads  of  the  various  religious 
orders,  and  with  prominent  Filipinos,  in  an  effort  to 
reach  an  understanding  of  the  powers  exercised  and 
claimed  by  the  Friars,  and  the  ground  of  resentment 
against  them.  Much  interesting  testimony  has  been 
secured.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  for  people  at  home, 
accustomed  to  consider  religion  a  matter  of  purely 
personal  concern,  to  adjust  their  mental  vision  to  the 
true  situation  in  these  islands.  The  history  of  Span- 
ish conquest  in  the  Far  East,  no  less  than  in  the  New 
World,  is  inextricably  mingled  with  that  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  The  soldier  and  the  priest 
marched  together  and  the  crucifix  held  what  the 
sword  had  gained.  It  has  been  Spain's  evil  fortune, 
however,  to  find  in  her  powerful  ally  of  conquest, 
and  in  the  force  which  cemented  the  triumph  of  her 
arms,  one  of  the  most  potent  factors  of  her  own 
downfall.  The  support  of  her  wonderful  years  of 
expansion  became  in  time  a  rigid  frame  which  re- 
morselessly shut  out  all  power  of  change  or  further 

[74] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

progress,  and  in  the  upheaval  which  time  inevitably 
brought  her  colonies  were  lost  and  the  fabric  of  the 
church  shaken  to  its  foundations. 

Upon  the  advent  of  Spain  to  the  Philippines  the 
church  found  a  virgin  field  for  her  efforts.  The 
religious  beliefs  of  the  people  were  few  and  simple, 
lacking  altogether  the  rigidity  which  characterizes 
the  systems  prevalent  in  India,  China,  and  other 
Oriental  countries.  The  people  accepted  readily  the 
forms  and  ceremonies  of  the  new  faith  and  became 
converted  en  masse.  Churches  and  convents  sprang 
up  throughout  the  islands,  and  much  was  done 
toward  the  moral  and  intellectual  development  of 
the  people.  With  time,  however,  the  missionary 
zeal  which  characterized  and  inspired  the  early 
churchmen  gave  way  in  large  measure  to  more 
earthly  considerations  and  to  a  mistaken  system  of 
government  policy.  The  Monastic  Orders  which 
had  early  appeared  in  the  field,  and  into  whose 
hands  fell  the  church  government,  soon  devoted 
themselves  more  to  extending  their  own  power  and 
influence,  and  to  exploiting  the  people  and  country 
to  add  to  their  own  wealth  and  prestige,  than  to  any 
high  considerations  looking  to  the  spiritual  develop- 
ment of  their  parishioners.  The  ranks  of  such  or- 
ders were  recruited  too  often  from  among  the  lower 
classes  in  Spain,  to  whom  a  distant  field  and  isolated 
parishes  meant  simply  an  opportunity  to  tyrannize 
over  a  simple  people  and  to  gratify  their  own  desires 
and  passions  unchecked. 

The  full  scope  of  the  power  and  influence  wielded 

[75] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

by  the  Friar  priest  in  the  interior  pueblos  of  the 
islands  can  hardly  be  realized  by  one  unfamiliar  with 
Filipino  character  and  Filipino  history.  To  a  natu- 
rally docile  disposition  the  mass  of  the  Filipinos  added 
the  passivity  which  comes  from  credulous  ignorance, 
rank  superstition,  and  awe  of  those  in  authority  —  a 
condition  which  the  church  and  government  systems 
did  little  to  ameliorate.  The  native  dialects,  which 
possess  little  or  no  literature,  were  taught  almost 
exclusively  in  the  parishes,  instruction  being  limited 
in  most  cases  to  the  catechism  and  church  dogma. 
Only  the  small  percentage  of  persons  able  to  attend 
the  Manila  schools  ever  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
Spanish  or  of  a  world  outside  the  confines  of  their 
particular  towns.  This  system  was  based,  it  is  said, 
upon  the  theory  that  by  confining  the  people  to  their 
own  dialects,  and  shutting  to  them  the  pages  of  his- 
tory, the  possibility  of  concerted  action  upon  their 
part  against  either  church  or  state  authorities  was 
minimized. 

Given  the  above  condition  of  affairs,  coupled  with 
the  natural  actions  of  men  of  ordinary  human  pas- 
sions when  invested  with  practically  unlimited  power, 
and  the  result  is  not  difficult  to  imagine.  The  priest 
controlled  and  dominated  the  people  not  only  by  the 
power  which  comes  from  superior  race  and  superior 
education,  but  he  held  in  his  hands  as  a  scourge  for 
those  who  questioned  his  words  or  his  deeds  the 
threat  and  fear  of  imprisonment  or  banishment 
here  and  the  terrible  tortures  and  torments  of  the 
damned  in  the  hereafter.     Neither  Spain's  army  in 

[76] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

the  islands  nor  her  civil  official  roll  was  ever  very 
large.  For  this  reason,  and  because  the  church  was 
a  state  institution,  churchmen  played  a  large  part 
in  governmental  affairs.  The  priests  were  subsi- 
dized by  the  state,  practically  all  of  them  receiving 
a  regular  allowance  from  the  government  treasury. 
In  a  vast  number  of  towns  the  priest  was  the  only 
representative  of  Spanish  sovereignty,  being  not  only 
the  intermediary  between  the  government  and  the 
people,  but  performing  as  well  the  duties  of  an  offi- 
cial. The  strong  arm  of  the  state,  with  its  mysteri- 
ous power  to  banish,  imprison,  and  kill,  was  always 
back  of  him,  making  his  authority  a  menace  and  a 
dread.  So  strong,  in  fact,  did  the  religious  corpora- 
tions finally  become,  and  so  powerful  was  their  in- 
fluence throughout  the  islands,  that  the  civil  author- 
ities became  subordinate,  and  the  tenure  of  that  gov- 
ernor or  officer  who  dared  oppose  their  will  was 
short.  It  is  not  altogether  strange  that  this  tremen- 
dous influence  given  into  their  hands  was  too  often 
abused. 

Concubinage  on  the  part  of  priests  with  the 
women  of  their  parishes  was  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  many  prominent  Filipinos  today  trace  their 
Spanish  blood  to  this  source  and  speak  openly  of  the 
fact.  In  referring  to  this  phase  of  the  subject  in  an 
interview  with  Judge  Taft,  Don  Felipe  Calderon, 
a  leading  attorney  of  Manila,  said: 

With  respect  to  their  morality  in  general,  it  was 
such  a  common  thing  to  see  children  of  Friars  that 

[77] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

no  one  ever  paid  any  attention  to  it  or  thought  of  it, 
and  so  depraved  had  the  people  become  in  this 
regard  that  the  women  who  were  mistresses  of 
Friars  really  felt  great  pride  in  it  and  had  no 
compunction  in  speaking  of  it. 

He  gave  a  list  of  Filipinos  who  were  children  or 
descendants  of  Friars,  heading  the  list  with  his  own 
name,  stating  that  his  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a 
Franciscan  Friar.  He  coupled  this  admission  with 
the  somewhat  naVve  remark  that  he  did  not  dishonor 
himself  by  so  stating,  as  his  family  began  with 
himself. 

While  the  despotic  methods  pursued  by  many  of 
the  Friars  in  what  pertained  to  their  religious  work 
doubtless  created  antagonism,  the  chief  ground  of 
hostility  seems  to  have  been  a  political  one.  The 
Friar  represented  to  the  people  all  that  was  vicious 
and  bad  in  Spanish  governmental  methods.  He  was 
to  them  the  visible  embodiment  of  grinding  and  op- 
pressive taxes,  of  conscription,  of  cruel  and  unusual 
punishments,  and  of  every  arbitrary  and  unreason- 
able demand  made  upon  them  by  officials  to  whom 
the  good  of  the  governed  was  too  often  a  secondary 
consideration.  The  Friars,  being  the  exposed  part 
of  the  government  machine,  were  the  point  of  attack. 
The  particular  orders  against  which  the  greatest  ani- 
mosity exists  are  the  Dominicans,  Augustinians, 
Recolletos,  and  Franciscans,  these  having  been  the 
most  active  in  securing  property  interests  and  assum- 
ing the  role  of  landlords  to  the  people.  Three  of 
these  orders,   i.   c.,   the   Dominicans,   Augustinians, 

[78] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

and  Recolletos,  own  over  four  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  the  choicest  agricultural  lands  of  the  Archi- 
pelago, besides  large  holdings  in  the  city  of  Manila 
and  other  towns  of  the  islands.  The  people  living 
upon  these  large  properties  claim  that  the  land  was 
acquired  from  them  and  their  fathers  through 
duress,  fraud,  and  other  questionable  methods,  and 
that  they  should  not  be  compelled  to  pay  rent  there- 
for. 

As  a  military  measure,  the  orders  are  prohibited 
at  present  from  attempting  to  collect  rents,  as  dis- 
turbances would  inevitably  result.  With  the  estab- 
lishment of  civil  government,  however,  and  the  or- 
ganization of  civil  courts  the  right  of  the  orders  to 
enforce  their  demands  against  their  so-called  tenants 
cannot,  as  a  legal  proposition,  be  disputed.  To  an 
ignorant  people  such  a  result  would  be  conclusive 
evidence  that  our  government  had  become  a  partisan 
of  the  orders  and  stood  in  the  shoes  of  its  prede- 
cessor. In  the  meantime,  the  Commission  is  being 
flooded  with  petitions  from  all  parts  of  the  islands 
protesting  against  the  Friars  and  asking  that  their 
return  to  the  parishes  be  forbidden.  The  people 
cannot  see  or  be  made  to  understand  that  the  ques- 
tion of  the  return  of  the  Friars  is  purely  a  matter  of 
church  policy,  and  that  their  property  rights  are  to 
be  determined  by  the  courts  and  not  by  the  arbitrary 
action  of  individuals.  The  only  solution  that  seems 
possible  is  for  the  government  to  buy  these  large 
holdings  and  then  sell  or  rent  the  land  to  the  people 
upon  easy  terms. 

[79] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

In  treating  this  question  there  is  one  point  upon 
which  Americans  are  apt  to  be  misled,  and  that  is 
in  thinking  that  any  attack  or  reflection  upon  the 
reHgious  orders  in  these  islands,  or  any  action  look- 
ing to  their  withdrawal,  is  an  attack  upon  the  Catho- 
lic Church.  Nothing  could  be  more  erroneous.  It 
is  not  the  Catholic  Church,  but  these  corporations 
within  the  church,  which  are  the  cause  of  trouble.  A 
condition  now  exists  where  the  Catholics  of  the  islands 
—  the  natives  —  are  Irreconcilably  arrayed  against 
the  church  as  represented  by  the  religious  orders. 
If  the  governing  church  authorities,  under  these 
circumstances,  try  to  force  the  Friars  down  the 
throats  of  the  people,  it  will  simply  result  in  extend- 
ing their  antagonism  to  the  church  itself,  with  disas- 
trous results  to  its  influence  and  prestige.  Realizing 
the  true  condition  of  affairs,  the  Pope  commissioned 
Archbishop  Chapelle  of  New  Orleans  as  Apostolic 
Delegate  to  the  Philippines,  with  instructions  to  ex- 
amine Into  the  affairs  of  the  church  in  the  islands 
and  to  harmonize  the  discordant  elements  therein  If 
possible.  It  is  not  unfair  to  state  that,  measured  by 
results,  his  mission  bids  fair  to  be  an  utter  failure. 
Whether  from  conviction  or  other  motive.  Arch- 
bishop Chapelle  has  closely  identified  himself  with 
the  Friar  Interests  and  thus  destroyed  whatever  influ- 
ence he  might  else  have  had  in  bringing  about  better 
relations  between  the  church  and  the  great  mass  of 
native  Catholics.  The  people  are  even  now  mourn- 
ing the  death  of  Dr.  Jose  Rlzal,  perhaps  the  great- 
est native  the  islands  have  produced,  who  was  pub- 

[80] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

licly  shot  upon  the  Luneta  as  late  as  December  30, 
1896.  The  charge  against  him  was  conspiracy  to 
overthrow  the  government,  but  the  opinion  is  quite 
universal  that  he  met  his  death  through  the  influence 
of  the  religious  orders  because  of  accusations  made 
against  them  in  his  hook,  Noli  me  Tangere,  and  other 
writings. 

The  intimate  relations  existing  between  church 
and  state  under  Spanish  rule  is  evidenced  by  a  ques- 
tion now  being  debated  before  the  Commission. 
Under  the  Treaty  of  Paris  the  United  States  became 
vested  with  all  property  in  the  islands  belonging  to 
Spain.  Various  properties,  undoubtedly  under  the 
control  of  Spanish  civil  authorities,  are  claimed  by 
the  church,  the  contention  being  that  the  state  simply 
acted  as  agent  of  the  church  in  administering  them. 
Among  such  disputed  holdings  is  the  College  of  San 
Jose,  in  Manila,  worth  probably  half  a  million  dol- 
lars, the  title  to  which  is  now  being  considered.  The 
question  is  one  which  will  likely  have  to  be  deter- 
mined eventually  by  the  courts. 

In  any  criticism  of  Spanish  rule  in  the  islands,  or 
of  a  church  policy  which  finally  roused  a  pacific 
people  to  bitter  antagonism,  sight  should  not  be  alto- 
gether lost  of  the  great  civilizing  influence  actually 
exerted  over  the  natives  by  their  Spanish  masters. 
Compared  with  their  original  condition,  or  with 
the  status  of  other  Malayan  people,  the  Filipinos 
have  much  to  their  credit.  With  the  exception  of 
the  Mohammedan  Moros,  and  certain  of  the  hill 
tribes,  the  people  profess  Christianity  and  practice 

[81] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

many  of  Its  enlightened  precepts.  While  their  mor- 
als may  be  lax  in  some  respects,  they  are  reported 
to  be  a  great  improvement  over  those  of  most  trop- 
ical races.  They  have  acquired  many  of  the  social 
graces  of  the  Spaniard  and  are  universally  courteous 
and  polite.  As  a  people  they  are  hospitable,  and  a 
stranger  among  them  is  seldom  refused  food  or 
shelter.  Their  knowledge  of  current  affairs,  al- 
though superficial  in  many  respects,  has  in  it  sufficient 
of  the  modern  to  justify  a  belief  that  under  proper 
guidance  further  development  will  be  rapid.  The 
position  of  women  among  them  is  far  in  advance 
of  that  of  her  sisters  in  other  Oriental  countries. 
She  is  an  equal  partner  in  the  household,  and  in  very 
many  instances  a  better  executive  and  in  closer  touch 
with  business  affairs  than  her  husband.  Children 
are  treated  affectionately,  and  filial  obedience  and 
respect  are  ingrained.  There  are  few,  if  any,  alms- 
houses, the  old  and  indigent  being  cared  for  by  their 
relatives.  All  these  things  represent  an  evolution 
of  character  accomplished  only  through  generations 
of  contact  with  a  superior  race,  and  without  which 
our  scheme  of  granting  the  people  a  participation 
in  the  government  would  be  visionary.  Even  so,  the 
most  serious  obstacle  we  will  likely  encounter  results 
from  that  feature  of  Spanish  rule  which  restricted 
wealth  and  education  to  the  few  and  kept  the  masses 
poor  and  ignorant.  That  great  middle  class  exist- 
ing in  our  country,  from  which  free  government  de- 
rives its  inspiration  and  its  support,  is  altogether 
lacking  in  these  islands.     The  average  Filipino  ac- 

[82] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

cepts  as  gospel  any  doctrine  laid  down  to  him  by 
the  select  few,  and  has  learned  through  long  travail 
to  invest  official  position  not  only  with  the  right, 
but  the  power  to  dictate  his  course  of  life  and  con- 
duct. They  have  found  it  safer  to  submit  to  the 
arbitrary  actions  of  their  superiors  than  to  com- 
plain, and  are  easily  influenced  by  these  so-called 
leaders  to  take  up  any  scheme,  however  absurd  or 
chimerical.  It  will  be  slow  work  to  eradicate  this 
tendency,  and  to  convince  the  masses  that  the  law 
is  intended  for  their  benefit  no  less  than  for  those 
privileged  ones  from  whom  they  have  so  long 
accepted  orders. 


Manila,  August  30,  igoo. 
In  a  couple  of  days  the  Commission  enters  upon 
its  legislative  work,  which  includes  the  handling  of 
the  insular  funds.  Much  work  has  already  been  done 
upon  a  tariff  law,  and  upon  an  act  regulating  the  civil 
service.  Upon  our  occupation  of  the  islands  the  old 
system  of  taxes  and  import  duties  collected  by  Spain 
was  continued.  Here,  however,  as  in  other  Spanish 
colonies,  the  laws  were  made  by  the  landed  pro- 
prietors and  people  of  wealth,  and  they  saw  to  it 
that  few  of  the  burdens  of  government  fell  to  them. 
They  taxed,  instead,  commerce  and  industry,  with  a 
consequent  stifling  of  enterprise.  It  was  difficult  for 
a  poor  man  to  turn  his  hand  without  being  compelled 
to  contribute  something  to  the  revenue.     There  was 

[83] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

and  is  today  no  tax  upon  land,  while  luxuries  of 
every  kind  are  admitted  at  a  nominal  duty.  Every- 
thing consumed  and  used  by  the  masses  pays  a  maxi- 
mum rate.  Dr.  Carl  C.  Plehn  of  the  University  of 
California,  an  authority  upon  economic  subjects,  has 
been  called  to  assist  in  framing  a  more  equitable 
tariff  law  and  is  now  at  work  upon  it.  At  the  same 
time  Mr.  Kiggins,  an  examiner  of  the  Civil  Service 
Board  at  Washington,  was  brought  to  the  islands  to 
prepare  a  comprehensive  civil  service  measure. 
Something  of  the  kind  is  quite  necessary,  not  only 
to  fix  a  standard  for  admission  to  government  em- 
ploy, but  to  relieve  the  pressure  upon  the  Commis- 
sion by  those  with  a  "political  pull"  desiring  ap- 
pointment in  the  islands.  Plans  are  forming  for  a 
rapid  extension  of  school  work.  Dr.  David  P.  Bar- 
rows of  California  has  been  appointed  Superinten- 
dent of  Manila  Schools,  and  a  number  of  American 
teachers  are  en  route.  The  Filipinos  seem  anxious 
to  educate  their  children;  so  much  so  that  schools 
established  by  the  military  in  still  hostile  territory, 
and  taught  by  soldiers,  have  been  and  are  well 
attended. 

Driving  on  the  Luneta  and  Malecon  of  evenings 
still  constitutes  our  chief  diversion.  In  addition  to 
this,  we  attend  dinners  and  watch  for  the  bi-monthly 
transport  with  mail.  When  letters  come  half-way 
round  the  world  they  mean  something,  and  your 
grievance  is  very  great  if  your  share  is  less  than 
anticipated.  Dinners,  however,  furnish  the  great 
relief.     The  maxim  here  is,  "  When  in  doubt  what 

[84] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

to  do,  give  a  dinner."  Many  prominent  Filipinos 
have  entertained  the  Commissioners  and  families, 
and  vice  versa,  establishing  an  entente  cordiale  which 
mere  official  intercourse  could  not  accomplish.  Our 
acquaintance  with  army  officers  gained  over  the 
festal  board  has  also  been  most  delightful.  What- 
ever may  be  their  feelings  as  a  class  concerning  the 
Commission  and  its  work,  taken  as  individuals  they 
could  not  well  be  more  agreeable.  There  is  one 
feature  of  these  functions,  however,  which  has 
proven  somewhat  novel  to  most  of  our  party,  I.  e., 
the  importance  attached  in  military  circles  to  the 
question  of  rank.  If  by  chance  you  should  seat  a 
captain  nearer  the  head  of  the  tabic  than  a  major, 
or  even  seat  a  junior  captain  above  his  senior  of  the 
same  rank,  your  blunder  would  be  unpardonable. 
Not  only  this,  but  Mrs.  Senior  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Junior  Captain  must  be  placed  with  the  same  pre- 
cision as  her  husband  —  if  not  more  so.  To  a  civil- 
ian host  and  hostess,  who  have  not  studied  the  Army 
Register  with  the  prayerful  diligence  of  most  army 
officers  and  their  wives,  the  problem  of  properly 
seating  their  guests  is  often  a  very  perplexing  one. 
I  believe  the  members  of  the  Commission  first 
learned  that  some  of  them  "ranked"  the  others 
when  they  were  received  by  the  Japanese  Emperor. 
To  most  of  them  the  idea  had  not  occurred  that  they 
had  a  right  to  precede  each  other  in  the  order  of 
their  appointment  by  President  McKinley,  being  alto- 
gether content  to  file  in  as  circumstances  made  con- 
venient.   One  of  the  Commissioners,  with  some  pre- 

[85] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

vious  experience  in  mind,  insisted  that  he  should  rank 
those  who  had  been  named  subsequent  to  himself. 
The  incident  was  later  recounted  by  the  other  Com- 
missioners with  considerable  glee. 


[86] 


..  «Lp#^^ 


.1  •^^^jS.'s; 


The    Water   Carrier 


VI 

LAW-MAKING  AND  SUNDRY  EXCURSIONS 

Manila,  September  20,  igoo. 
T  T  has  been  usual  to  associate  the  tropics  with 
siestas,  neghge,  easy  chairs,  and  cooHng  drinlcs; 
a  place  where  all  that  is  strenuous  is  put  aside,  and 
life  takes  on  a  dolce  far  niente  coloring  like  unto 
that  lotus  land  where  "it  is  always  afternoon." 
Whatever  truth  the  picture  holds  generally,  it  has 
no  application  to  present  conditions  here.  The  task 
of  organizing  a  system  of  government  which  will 
appeal  to  these  people,  and  at  the  same  time  square 
with  our  ideas  of  what  is  right  and  best,  leaves  little 
time  for  dreaming.  What  with  the  preparation  and 
consideration  of  proposed  laws,  the  granting  of 
interviews,  the  discussion  of  plans  and  projects,  and 
the  hearing  of  petitions  as  numerous  and  varied 
as  human  tribulations,  the  Commission  is  simply 
swamped  with  work.  Old  residents  predict  that  the 
pace  set  is  the  pace  that  kills. 

On  taking  over  its  duties,  September  first,  the 
Commission  determined  to  give  the  fullest  opportu- 
nity possible  for  public  consideration  of  proposed 
legislation  and  reforms.  Agreeable  to  this  plan, 
Wednesdays  and  Fridays  of  each  week  have  been 

[87] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

set  apart  for  public  sessions,  at  which  times  any  per- 
son is  privileged  to  make  suggestions  or  offer  criti- 
cisms as  to  matters  in  hand.  By  this  arrangement 
it  is  hoped  not  only  to  get  the  Filipino  viewpoint, 
and  satisfy  their  innate  desire  for  public  speaking, 
but  to  demonstrate  our  purpose  of  giving  them  a 
voice  in  public  affairs.  While  some  of  the  natives 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  it  is  but 
fair  to  say  that  most  of  those  of  influence  have  thus 
far  held  aloof  from  the  sessions.  This  attitude  was 
at  first  somewhat  surprising,  no  less  than  disappoint- 
ing, to  the  Commission.  We  knew  that  the  prin- 
cipal leaders  of  the  people  realized  there  was  no 
longer  any  organized  resistance  to  our  authority,  and 
that  all  chance  of  achieving  independence  through 
insurrection  was  hopeless.  Many  of  them  appre- 
ciate also  that  our  desire  to  help  them  is  sincere,  and 
that  the  welfare  of  their  people  demands  that  they 
cooperate  with  us  in  establishing  law  and  order. 
While  conceding  all  this  in  private,  they  seek,  never- 
theless, to  appear  in  public  as  neutral  or  as  favoring 
independence.  The  reason  for  this  anomalous  posi- 
tion was  soon  disclosed.  It  has  its  root  in  the  fear 
and  the  conviction  that  if  Bryan  is  elected  In  Novem- 
ber the  American  forces  will  be  immediately  with- 
drawn from  the  Islands  and  the  government  turned 
over  to  the  natives.  Believing  this  as  gospel,  they 
hesitate  to  become  known  at  this  time  as  "Amerlcan- 
Istas,"  something  which,  should  their  fears  be  real- 
ized, would  cut  them  off  from  the  spoils  of  an  Inde- 
pendent rctjime  and  single  them  out  for  persecution 

[88] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

by  those  who   had  more   consistently  championed 
"the  rights"  of  the  people. 

The  Democratic  platform,  as  you  know,  seeks  to 
make  the  Philippine  question  the  "paramount  issue" 
of  the  campaign.  It  condemns  and  denounces  the 
policy  of  the  present  administration  in  the  islands, 
and  speaks  of  it  as  dictated  by  a  "  greedy  commer- 
cialism;" it  refers  to  our  efforts  to  terminate  the 
insurrection  as  "a  war  of  criminal  aggression,"  and 
advocates  the  immediate  declaration  of  our  purpose 
to  give  the  Filipinos  a  state  government,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  independence  and  protection  from  outside 
interference;  it  pretends,  also,  to  see  in  our  occupa- 
tion of  the  Archipelago  something  which  involves 
the  existence  of  the  Republic  and  of  free  institutions, 
while  it  pronounces  as  un-American  the  application 
of  military  force  to  crush  "  the  efforts  of  our  former 
allies  to  achieve  liberty  and  self-government."  This 
decided  stand  of  one  of  our  great  parties,  coupled 
with  the  ill-considered  preachings  of  its  leader  and  a 
coterie  of  Boston  enthusiasts,  have  been  industri- 
ously brought  to  the  attention  of  the  natives  by  the 
insurgent  juntas  of  Hong  Kong  and  Madrid.  Cop- 
ies of  this  party  declaration,  and  of  the  writings  and 
speeches  denouncing  our  presence  here  as  a  crime, 
have  been  found  in  the  possession  of  captured  in- 
surgents, together  with  instructions  urging  renewed 
hostilities  pending  the  election. 

As  part  of  this  campaign  program  we  are  prom- 
ised an  early  uprising  in  Manila,  and  are  in  receipt 
of  daily  reports  of  ambushes  and  murders  in  differ- 

[89] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ent  parts  of  the  Archipelago.  While  these  people 
are  possibly  in  error  as  to  just  what  would  be  the 
outcome  of  a  Democratic  victory,  it  cannot  be  said, 
under  the  circumstances,  that  their  attiude  is  unrea- 
sonable. Whether  reasonable  or  unreasonable,  how- 
ever, there  can  be  no  question  but  that  the  present 
resistance  to  our  authority  and  the  reluctance  of 
prominent  Filipinos  to  cooperate  with  us  derive  their 
principal  vitality  and  support  from  the  United  States 
and  not  from  any  encouragement  furnished  by  condi- 
tions in  the  islands.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  if  McKinley  be  reelected  the  whole  insurrecto 
movement  will  crumble,  and  the  toll  of  human  lives 
now  being  offered  up  for  purely  partisan  purposes 
will  come  to  an  end.  It  need  hardly  be  said  we 
anxiously  await  the  result. 

The  first  law  passed  by  the  Commission  was  an 
appropriation  of  $2,000,000,  Mexican  currency,  for 
the  construction  and  repair  of  highways  and  bridges, 
the  money  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the 
Military  Governor.  By  this  law  employment  will 
be  furnished  a  large  number  of  persons  rendered  Idle 
by  the  war  and  a  beginning  made  in  a  comprehen- 
sive system  of  road-building  for  the  islands.  The 
need  for  improved  means  of  communication  is  a  cry- 
ing one.  In  her  over  three  centuries  of  occupation 
Spain  did  very  little  in  this  regard.  There  are  but 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  railroad  in  the 
archipelago,  while  the  public  roads  —  or  what  are 
termed  such  —  are  practically  impassable  during  six 
months  of  the  year.    The  great  interior  of  the  coun- 

[90] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

try  finds  access  to  a  market  difficult  if  not  impossible 
when  not  adjacent  to  the  few  scattered  waterways. 
When  it  is  realized  how  closely  the  industrial  devel- 
opment of  a  country  is  dependent  upon  this  transpor- 
tation, this  first  step  of  the  Commission  is  certainly 
in  the  right  direction. 

The  second  act  appropriated  five  thousand  dollars 
for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  best  route  for  a 
railroad  into  the  mountains  of  Benguet.  This  is  in 
line  with  the  plan  previously  referred  to  of  estab- 
lishing a  sanitarium  or  health  resort  in  Baguio,  where 
relief  can  be  had  from  the  enervating  climate  of  the 
tropical  lowlands.  As  the  first  consideration  of  every- 
one taking  employment  in  the  islands  is  that  of 
health,  the  project  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
possibility  of  building  up  a  permanent  and  contented 
personnel  for  this  service. 

With  the  like  object  of  placing  employees  here  on 
a  right  basis  the  Commission  has  just  enacted  a  civil 
service  law  which  is  sweeping  in  its  provisions.  With 
the  exception  of  bureau  chiefs,  practically  every  gov- 
ernment position  is  placed  under  civil  service  rules. 
Even  as  to  heads  of  bureaus  it  is  provided  that  with- 
in eighteen  months  after  the  Board  shall  certify  that 
it  has  a  sufficient  eligible  list,  such  positions  are  to  be 
filled  from  a  class  composed  of  the  first,  second  and 
third  assistants  in  the  various  offices.  Entrance  to 
tlie  service  is  by  competitive  examination,  and  is  lim- 
ited to  citizens  of  the  United  States,  natives  of  the 
islands,  and  persons  who,  under  the  Treaty  of  Paris, 
acquired  the  political  rights  of  natives.     Appointing 

[91] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

officers  are  required,  where  other  qualifications  are 
equal,  to  prefer  for  positions,  first,  natives  of  the 
Philippines,  and,  second,  all  honorably  discharged 
soldiers,  sailors,  and  marines  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Commission  to  eliminate  all 
politics  and  favoritism,  and  to  hold  out  a  well- 
founded  hope  of  reward  to  those  who  serve  the  gov- 
ernment faithfully.  The  law  will  doubtless  prove 
a  sad  blow  to  that  numerous  class  of  persons  with 
"influential  backing"  who  desire  to  sacrifice  them- 
selves for  their  country's  welfare.  It  will  also  prove 
a  great  saving  of  time  and  worry  to  the  Commission, 
as  it  can  now  refer  all  such  aspirants  to  the  Civil 
Service  Board  "  for  information." 

Another  matter  pressing  upon  the  Commission  is 
the  reorganization  of  our  courts  and  the  reform  of 
the  present  judicial  procedure.  While  the  courts  in 
Manila  and  other  pacified  centers  were  reopened 
shortly  after  American  occupation,  they  are  still 
largely  governed  in  their  organization  and  conduct 
by  the  old  Spanish  codes  based  upon  the  Roman  civil 
law.  Whatever  merit  this  body  of  law  may  possess 
in  its  application  to  peoples  of  Latin  origin,  that 
portion  of  it  having  to  do  with  court  procedure  cer- 
tainly seems  designed  to  prevent  rather  than  promote 
justice.  In  the  matter  of  criminal  actions  our  au- 
thorities early  found  the  old  system  so  cumbersome 
and  so  opposed  to  modern  conceptions  of  justice  that 
a  new  set  of  regulations  governing  criminal  proced- 
ure was  promulgated  by  military  order.  As  to  civil 
actions,  the  law  as  It  now  stands  involves  litigants 

[92] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

in  a  hopeless  tangle  of  delays  and  uncertainties.  It 
permits,  for  instance,  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme 
Court  from  any  interlocutory  order  of  the  trial 
court,  thus  postponing  a  final  decision  indefinitely  — 
while  other  provisions  are  in  keeping.  Under  such 
a  scheme  the  person  with  the  longest  purse  usually 
wins.  It  appears  also  that  in  the  old  days  the  vari- 
ous court  oflicials  received  little  or  no  salary,  being 
dependent  for  their  reward  upon  "gratuities"  be- 
stowed by  the  parties  interested.  A  matter  just  pre- 
sented to  the  Commission  illustrates  another  strange 
feature  of  the  law;  i.e.,  a  provision  which  permits 
successful  litigants  to  tax  their  attorney's  fees  as 
part  of  the  court  costs.  In  a  recent  suit  involving 
some  $579,  judgment  went  against  the  plaintiff  upon 
what  to  us  would  be  a  demurrer,  there  being  some 
technical  defect  in  the  power  under  which  the  action 
was  filed.  There  was  but  one  hearing,  and  this  not 
upon  the  merits  of  the  case.  The  attorney  for  the 
defendant  (an  American)  fixed  his  fee  at  $624,  while 
the  other  costs  brought  the  total  up  to  $739,  or 
nearly  $200  more  than  the  amount  sued  fpr.  Upon 
objection  by  plaintiff  to  such  a  charge  the  question 
was  referred  under  their  practice  to  two  attorneys 
for  an  opinion.  This  committee  reported  the  fee  a 
just  one,  and  charged  another  $50  for  their  services. 
The  judge  (a  Filipino)  allowed  the  claim,  although 
vested  with  discretion  to  modify  or  deny  it.  There 
being  no  appeal  from  his  order,  the  matter  was 
brought  before  the  Commission.  The  Commission 
decided  it  had  no  authority  to  review  the  decision, 

[93] 


THE    ODYSSEY   OF 

but  as  it  did  have  power  to  appoint  and  remove 
judges,  this  particular  judge  was  invited  to  appear 
and  explain  his  mental  processes.  He  was  a  queer 
little  specimen  of  humanity,  and  a  very  uncomfort- 
able half  hour  he  had  of  it.  At  first  he  protested 
that  he  was  without  discretion  in  the  matter.  Being 
shown  the  provision  of  law  giving  him  such  dis- 
cretion, he  was  finally  driven  to  stating  that  he 
thought  the  fee  a  reasonable  one.  He  urged,  how- 
ever, that  the  attorney  for  defendant  had  told  him 
the  fee  was  in  accordance  with  the  practice  "  in  the 
rich  and  powerful  North  American  Republic,  where 
the  services  of  lawyers  are  paid  for  in  a  splendid 
manner  as  befits  persons  truly  great."  He  also  spoke 
seriously  of  the  lawyer  representing  the  defendant 
as  "one  of  the  most  prominent  legal  representatives 
of  that  great  country."  There  being  nothing  to  indi- 
cate that  the  court  and  attorney  were  to  share  the 
fee,  and  the  practice  being  recognized  as  one  which 
a  vicious  custom  had  apparently  sanctioned,  the 
judge  escaped  with  simply  a  bit  of  advice  as  to  his 
future  conduct.  To  remedy  such  conditions,  how- 
ever. Commissioner  Ide  is  working  on  a  Judiciary 
Act  and  a  Code  of  Civil  Procedure,  while  Commis- 
sioner Wright  is  drafting  a  Criminal  Code  and  a  set 
of  regulations  governing  criminal  actions. 


Manila,  October  25,  jgoo. 
The  political  situation  remains  much  the  same,  no 
important  change  in  conditions  being  expected  until 
after  election.     The  Commission  is  grinding  away 

[94] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

with  its  sessions,  and,  through  interviews  and  other- 
wise, seeking  to  bring  home  to  these  people  the  fact 
that  their  true  interests  lie  in  joining  with  us  in 
terminating  the  insurrection  and  implanting  civil  au- 
thority. In  the  meantime  the  work  of  reorganiza- 
tion goes  steadily  forward.  A  Bureau  of  Statistics 
has  been  organized  to  compile  reliable  data  concern- 
ing the  population  and  industries  of  the  islands.  A 
Bureau  of  Forestry  and  a  Bureau  of  Mining  have 
been  established  to  investigate  and  conserve  these 
two  sources  of  latent  wealth  of  the  archipelago.  One 
million  dollars  has  been  appropriated  for  improv- 
ing the  port  of  Manila,  a  work  begun  under  Spain 
but  interrupted  by  the  war.  At  present  all  vessels 
except  those  of  very  light  draft  which  enter  the 
Pasig  River  are  compelled  to  anchor  far  out  In  the 
bay  and  lighter  their  cargo  and  passengers.  Dur- 
ing the  southwest  monsoon,  or  where  typhoons  are 
blowing,  It  frequently  happens  that  all  traffic  between 
ships  and  shore  is  suspended  for  days  at  a  time.  By 
the  construction  of  breakwaters  and  docks  it  is  pro- 
posed to  establish  a  protected,  deep  water  harbor, 
which  will  make  Manila  not  only  one  of  the  best 
ports  in  the  Far  East  but  a  great  distributing  center 
as  well. 

The  new  Civil  Service  Board  has  been  organized, 
Mr.  Peppermann,  Recorder  of  the  Commission,  be- 
ing one  of  the  appointees.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of 
reporters,  I  have  assumed  his  duties  as  recorder  In 
addition  to  my  work  as  private  secretary  to  Commis- 
sioner Moses.  At  this  time,  when  plans  and  politics 

[95] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

are  shaping  which  involve  the  future  of  a  country 
and  a  people,  it  is  worth  while  being  where  you  can 
see  and  hear  the  wheels  go  round.  There  is  a  flavor 
about  this  situation  and  work  which  reminds  one  of 
Kipling's  tales  of  India.  It  is  a  place  where  men  do 
things  and  where  life  is  more  than  a  routine.  There 
is  a  joy,  moreover,  in  watching  the  Commission  in 
action.  In  the  pressure  of  its  work  it  forgets  all 
about  meal  hours  and  family  obligations;  it  seems  to 
find  in  the  heat  of  noontime  and  the  "  Luneta  hour," 
a  favorite  season  for  renewed  exertions,  while  diffi- 
culties seem  only  to  whet  its  energy  and  impart  a 
new  zest  to  life.  And  finally,  when  rising  tempera- 
ture, military  antagonism,  and  native  procrastination 
have  charged  the  atmosphere  to  the  explosion  point, 
and  things  look  hopelessly  blue,  a  hearty  laugh  by 
Judge  Taft  or  a  droll  story  by  General  Wright  re- 
lieves the  tension  and  saves  the  situation.  If  ever 
circumstances  existed  where  a  large  optimism, 
coupled  with  a  "  Divine  sense  of  humor,"  were  neces- 
sary for  success,  that  condition  exists  here  and  now. 
Not  until  the  true  history  of  this  epoch  is  written 
will  our  people  know  how  fortunate  they  have  been 
in  having  men  on  this  work  who  can  sink  individual 
feelings  in  their  sense  of  responsibility  to  their  coun- 
try, and  who  can  tide  over  all  sorts  of  trouble  with 
a  laugh. 


Manila,  October  30,  igoo. 
While  matters  political  have  largely  occupied  my 
letters  thus  far,  it  must  not  be  thought  that  life  here 

[96] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

holds  no  other  interests.  This  old  city,  with  its 
hybrid  and  restless  population,  is  a  constant  and 
fascinating  study.  It  is  a  kaleidoscope  of  changing 
scenes,  each  with  its  own  peculiar  color  and  charm. 

To  a  newcomer  one  of  the  things  which  possibly 
strikes  most  forcibly  at  first  is  the  stress  laid  upon 
the  spectacular  in  the  religious  life  of  this  people. 
Manila  is  a  city  of  churches,  splendid  in  architecture 
and  rich  in  interior  finish  and  decoration,  while  no 
village,  however  poor  or  squalid,  is  without  Its  im- 
posing iglesia  and  convento.  In  addition  to  regu- 
lar services,  which  are  quite  elaborate,  frequent  cele- 
brations are  held  during  which  the  numerous  statues 
of  virgins  and  saints,  which  adorn  every  church,  are 
mounted  upon  litters  and  taken  In  solemn  procession 
through  the  streets.  They  are  robed  in  their  richest 
vestments  and  jewels,  and  the  floats  which  carry  them 
are  studded  with  ornaments  and  lights.  In  front  and 
at  Intervals  of  this  line  march  the  priests,  resplendent 
in  gold  and  brocade,  chanting  the  services  of  their 
faith.  Two  or  more  bands  of  music  usually  attend, 
while  hundreds  of  devout  natives,  dressed  in  black 
and  carrying  candles,  add  Impresslveness  to  the 
scene.  As  the  parade  winds  In  and  out  through  the 
narrow  streets,  a  vivid  stream  of  light  against  the 
night  shadows,  it  makes  a  weird  and  fanciful  picture, 
well  calculated  to  inspire  religious  fervor  among  a 
rude  and  simple  people.  It  is  difficult  for  the  colder 
natures  of  the  north,  trained  to  act  through  reason 
rather  than  through  emotion  or  sentiment,  to  realize 
the  blind  veneration  with  which  those  who  dwell 

[97] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

where  skies  are  warmer  can  be  brought  to  invest 
certain  objects.  To  them  the  visible  sign  —  the  out- 
ward show  —  is  the  thing  which  appeals,  rather 
than  the  hidden  fact  which  it  is  supposed  to 
symbolize. 

The  other  evening  a  number  of  us  visited  the 
Augustinian  Church,  where  the  final  services  of  a 
"Novenario"  were  being  celebrated.  All  the 
chandeliers  were  lit,  gorgeous  tapestries  swung  from 
the  vaulted  dome,  and  altar,  alcove,  and  shrine 
blazed  with  candles.  Worshipers  filled  seat  and 
aisle,  while  far  down  the  vista  could  be  seen  the 
richly  dressed  priests  revolving  in  the  ceremonial 
figures  of  the  mass.  The  air  was  full  of  incense, 
which  rose  like  a  smoke.  About  one  were  dark, 
intent  faces  that  never  swerved,  while  above,  and 
mixed  with  the  chanting  of  the  priests,  was  the  roll 
of  organ  music  and  the  peal  of  human  voices.  In 
some  respects  the  scene  was  barbaric,  reminding  of 
some  ancient  and  legendary  rite,  but  the  question 
remains  after  all  whether  it  is  not  an  easier  and 
a  better  way  to  reach  and  influence  pagan  souls  than 
preaching  an  abstract  God  from  a  bare  pulpit  fronted 
by  wooden  benches. 

Among  the  excursions  further  afield  than  Manila 
have  been  a  visit  to  Cavite,  a  launch  ride  up  the 
Paslg,  and  a  trip  on  the  railroad  as  far  north  as 
Apalit.  Cavite,  which  lies  just  across  an  arm  of  the 
bay  from  Manila,  is  reached  in  an  hour  by  ferry. 
Its  principal  attraction  is  the  navy  yard  and  arsenal — 
a  legacy  bequeathed  us  by  Spain.    The  place  holds  an 

[98] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

added  interest  just  now  because  of  the  battle  of 
Manila  Bay,  and  the  wrecks  of  the  Spanish  fleet  still 
lying  where  sunk  by  Dewey's  cannon.  Sentiment 
here  concerning  that  May  day  fight  does  not  reach 
the  fever  pitch  it  did  in  the  States.  In  talking  the 
other  day  with  a  young  fellow  who  was  on  the  Con- 
cord during  the  battle,  he  said  the  Spanish  fleet 
offered  little  real  resistance;  that  with  the  exception 
of  one  or  two  vessels  none  of  them  had  up  steam, 
while  all  but  one  were  anchored  fore  and  aft.  As 
to  the  story  about  quitting  for  breakfast,  he  said 
they  withdrew  because  the  smoke  was  so  thick  they 
couldn't  see  anything,  and  simply  breakfasted  while 
waiting  for  it  to  clear  away. 

Cavite  itself  is  a  sleepy  old  town,  though  the 
province  of  which  it  is  the  capital  has  been  the  seat 
of  most  of  the  uprisings  against  Spain,  and  is  now  a 
hotbed  of  insurrection.  On  the  Sunday  of  our  visit 
most  of  the  natives  appeared  to  be  at  the  cockpit, 
their  gallera  being  crowded  with  men,  women,  and 
children.  Cock  fighting  is  the  national  sport  of  the 
Filipino  masses,  their  feathered  champions  forming 
an  intimate  part  of  the  family  circle  and  receiving  an 
affectionate  care  scarcely  second  to  that  given  chil- 
dren of  the  household.  We  visited  the  Cavite  cock- 
pit for  a  short  time,  and  the  sight  of  that  circle  of 
tense,  absorbed  faces  hanging  upon  every  movement 
of  the  combat  made  a  subject  ripe  for  a  painter's 
brush.  Most  of  the  natives  gamble  recklessly  on 
their  favorites,  and  poverty  and  crime  wait  upon 
the  result  of  each  sanguinary  struggle.     Filipinos  of 

[99] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

education  admit  the  sport  to  be  vicious  and  brutaliz- 
ing, and  a  serious  menace  to  the  moral  and  material 
progress  of  their  people.  As  man  does  not  live  by 
bread  alone,  however,  the  problem  of  uprooting  the 
evil  is  intimately  linked  with  the  other  question  of 
furnishing  the  people  some  more  legitimate  pastime 
in  its  stead. 

The  Pasig  River  is  about  fifteen  miles  long  and 
connects  the  Laguna  de  Bay  with  Manila  Bay.  It 
winds  in  and  out  through  a  broad  fertile  plain,  its 
banks  lined  with  little  nipa  villages  and  rich  with 
all  the  luxuriant  growth  of  the  tropics.  It  is  the 
great  highway  of  commerce  for  the  lake  country,  and 
as  your  launch  ascends  its  course  there  glide  by  a 
succession  of  native  craft  laden  with  fruit,  pottery, 
palay,  and  other  products  bound  for  the  Manila 
markets.  Upon  either  side  there  pass  in  review  a 
series  of  pictures  Arcadian  in  their  simplicity  and 
charm.  The  Filipinos  are  a  cleanly  people  both  in 
person  and  dress,  a  fact  which  makes  of  every  river 
and  stream  a  site  for  promiscuous  laundry  work  and 
bathing.  While  the  mothers  of  the  household  thresh 
and  beat  the  family  linen  upon  the  stones,  their 
numerous  progeny,  clothed  only  in  sunlight,  swim 
and  splash  about  beside  them.  It  may  also  be  that 
a  drove  of  carabaos  share  the  water  with  the 
lavenderas  and  bathers,  but  this  is  a  detail  best  for- 
gotten. 

Beautiful  and  interesting,  however,  as  is  the  day- 
light ride  up  the  river,  it  is  the  ride  down,  when 
bright  moonlight  floods  the  land  and  marks  your 

[lOO] 


> 


^    JL^ 

River   Scene 


*1r.^ 


i^r^ii^ 


.-*2fe.-- 


On  the  Pasig  River 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

path  with  beaten  silver,  that  furnishes  inspiration 
for  poetry  and  romance.  As  our  launch  turned  and 
headed  from  the  lake  into  the  river  the  glory  of  the 
setting  sun  was  before  us,  painting  the  sky  with  red 
and  gold  and  flushing  the  waters  Mnth  deep  crimson 
shadows.  As  the  colors  faded,  and  the  short  trop- 
ical twilight  deepened  into  night,  a  perfect  moon 
rode  out  of  the  East  and  lit  up  field  and  river  with 
a  wealth  of  radiance  unknown  in  lands  of  cold  and 
snow.  Groups  of  majestic  palms,  broad-leafed 
banana  groves,  and  clumps  of  feathery  bamboo  stood 
out  in  silhouette  against  the  sky,  their  graceful  out- 
lines reflected  in  the  placid  waters  like  some  dream 
vision.  When  to  the  witchery  of  such  a  night  and 
such  a  scene  are  added  congenial  companions,  atten- 
tive miichachos,  and  a  well-stocked  ice  box,  you  for- 
got for  a  time  that  in  the  dim  hills  on  the  horizon 
men  were  struggling  in  fierce  hate,  and  that  your 
enjoyment  was  but  a  breathing  spell  in  the  rush  of 
events  making  history  about  you. 

Our  railroad  trip  to  Apalit,  some  forty  miles  north 
of  Manila,  took  us  over  ground  where  much  of  the 
severe  fighting  occurred  following  the  insurrection. 
A  few  guerrilla  bands  yet  lurk  in  the  mountains, 
but  most  of  the  territory  to  the  north  is  pacified  and 
the  natives  again  engaged  in  their  usual  work.  The 
railroad,  however,  is  still  operated  by  the  military. 
It  is  owned  by  English  capital,  but  the  insurgent 
sympathies  of  the  old  management,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  prompt  and  efiicient  service,  led  our  authori- 
ties to  assume  and  retain  control.     The  train  crews 

[lOl] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

are  made  up  of  American  soldiers,  our  campaign 
having  shown  that  no  matter  what  emergencies  may 
arise  experts  are  forthcoming  from  the  ranks  to 
meet  them.  The  cars  used  In  the  service  are  like 
unto  the  dinky  Httle  boxes  seen  on  English  railways. 
A  number  of  army  officers  shared  our  cubby  with  us, 
among  them  Brigadier  General  Frederick  Grant, 
who  Is  stationed  at  Angeles.  He  very  much  resem- 
bles his  distinguished  father,  and  proved  a  most  de- 
lightful companion.  Our  Immediate  party  consisted 
of  Commissioner  and  Mrs.  Moses,  Miss  Briggs  and 
myself,  the  occasion  of  our  trip  being  a  visit  to  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas,  stationed  at  Apallt.  Our  jour- 
ney, which  occupied  some  two  hours,  proved  remark- 
ably pleasant.  The  road  runs  over  a  flat  plain,  the 
Zambales  coast  range  rising  sharply  to  the  west, 
while  the  Cordillera  Central  could  be  seen  far  to  the 
east.  Rice  paddies,  cane  fields,  and  an  ever-present 
array  of  palms,  bamboo,  and  banana  trees  filled  the 
landscape.  We  passed  through  Malolos,  seat  of  the 
short-lived  Filipino  Republic,  and  were  pointed  to 
various  places  where  Important  events  had  trans- 
pired. We  saw  a  great  many  insurgent  trenches,  and 
at  one  stop  there  was  a  group  of  sixty  Insurgent  pris- 
oners under  guard  for  Manila.  Soldiers  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  different  towns  en  route,  and  all  the 
bridges  were  guarded.  The  "panoply  of  war"  was 
decidedly  in  evidence. 

We  were  met  at  our  destination  by  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas,  and  drove  to  Apallt,  about  three  miles  dis- 
tant, in  an  army  ambulance.    The  road  follows  the 

[102] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

windings  of  the  Rio  Grande  de  Pampanga,  and  fur- 
nished another  series  of  moving  pictures  the  hght 
and  color  of  which  cannot  be  transcribed  to  paper. 
Both  sides  of  the  road  were  hedged  by  an  almost 
continuous  row  of  nipa  houses,  which,  with  their 
wilderness  of  surrounding  vegetation  and  their 
quota  of  brown  humanity  resembled  so  many  stage 
settings.  All  the  natives  turned  out  to  see  us,  the 
youngsters  airing  their  knowledge  of  English  by 
yelling  "Hello"  at  the  top  of  their  lungs.  Many 
of  them  were  dressed  in  the  "  altogether,"  their  dark 
skins  shining  in  the  brilliant  sunlight  like  polished 
bronze. 

We  found  our  hosts  installed  in  one  of  the  village 
nipas,  and  soon  appreciated  how  well  suited  such 
houses  are  to  this  climate.  There  is  not  a  nail  or 
bit  of  iron  in  the  whole  structure.  The  frame,  floors, 
and  walls  are  of  bamboo,  and  the  roof  of  nipa  palm, 
all  fastened  together  with  bc'juco  and  wooden  pegs. 
There  are  no  windows,  their  place  being  taken  by  a 
sort  of  shade  projected  outward  with  a  pole.  The 
rooms  run  right  up  to  the  ridge,  and  while  there  is 
some  effort  at  partitions,  they  are  little  more  than 
imaginary,  at  least  so  far  as  sound  is  concerned.  The 
ventilation  is  that  of  all  out-doors,  the  open  work 
floors  and  sides  furnishing  plenty  of  ozone.  While 
the  Thomas'  nipa  boasted  bamboo  beds,  it  is  prob- 
able that  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  natives  sleep  on 
mats  spread  on  the  floor.  As  the  "feel"  is  about 
the  same  whether  you  sleep  on  a  bamboo  floor  or  a 
bamboo  bed,  there  is  some  reason  besides  economy 

[103] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

for  eliminating  a  bulky  bedstead  from  these  little 
huts. 

Our  arrival  was  the  signal  for  an  early  visit  from 
the  village  presidente  and  other  "leading  citizens," 
all  of  whom  were  dressed  in  conventional  black  and 
were  profuse  in  their  expressions  of  welcome.  There 
was  also  a  procession  of  native  women  bearing  gifts 
of  fruit,  diilces,  and  various  eatables,  such  having 
been  the  costiimhre  del  pais  In  the  old  days  when 
Spanish  officials  shed  the  light  of  their  countenance 
upon  the  provinces.  Captain  Butler,  in  command 
of  the  post,  took  tiffin  with  us,  and  it  was  a  right 
jolly  spread.  We  ate  to  the  accompaniment  of  a 
native  band,  which  persisted  in  serenading  us  during 
the  entire  meal.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  Buen- 
camino  family  sent  carriages  for  us  and  we  all 
repaired  to  their  home. 

In  Apalit,  as  In  other  pueblos  of  the  islands,  one 
or  two  families  usually  own  most  of  the  property 
and  dominate  the  social  and  economic  life  of  the 
place.  This  position  of  influence  is  held  here  by  the 
Buencamino  and  Arnedo  families,  who  are  related  by 
marriage.  The  hospitality  of  the  Buencamino  home 
was  extended  us  by  the  four  daughters  —  the  father, 
Don  Felipe  Buencamino,  being  absent  in  Manila, 
where  he  takes  a  prominent  part  among  the  Filipinos 
who  have  openly  espoused  the  American  cause.  He 
was  Secretary  of  State  in  Aguinaldo's  cabinet,  and 
though  accused  of  shifting  his  politics  to  suit  each 
favoring  breeze,  is  undoubtedly  a  man  of  ability, 
with  more  initiative  than  usual  among  this  race.  His 

[  104] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

home  in  Apalit  is  a  large,  roomy  dwelling,  typical 
of  the  better  class  houses  in  the  islands.  The  en- 
tresuelo,  or  ground  floor,  is  given  over  to  horses, 
carriages,  servants,  and  other  miscellaneous  uses,  the 
family  occupying  the  upper  floor.  Here  the  rooms 
are  spacious  and  airy,  with  high  ceilings  and  with 
floors  of  native  hardwood  polished  until  they  shine 
like  glass.  Connected  with  all  such  households  is  a 
body  of  servants  or  retainers  who  identify  themselves 
with  the  interests  of  the  establishment,  and  who 
receive  in  turn  maintenance  for  themselves  and  fam- 
ilies somewhat  after  the  patriarchial  style  of  Bible 
times.  It  is  a  system  which  breeds  a  motley  array 
of  attendants,  who  give  you  the  impression  of  being 
constantly  in  the  way. 

Our  reception  was  a  royal  one,  the  ritual  of  hos- 
pitality among  these  people  being  reduced  to  a  fine 
art.  There  was  music  and  dancing  and  a  recounting 
of  vivid  personal  experiences  during  the  troublous 
days  just  passed.  It  seems  that  upon  the  approach 
of  our  troops  —  who  had  been  painted  to  the  people 
as  devils  incarnate  —  everybody  fled  into  the  forests 
and  mountains,  where  men,  women,  and  children 
herded  together  like  hunted  animals  and  suffered  all 
manner  of  privations.  When  they  learned,  however, 
that  our  soldiers  did  not  burn  their  houses  nor  de- 
stroy their  property,  and  did  not  make  war  upon 
women  and  children,  they  flocked  back  to  their  homes 
and  are  still  voicing  their  surprise  and  gratitude.  It 
is  a  strange  fact,  but  most  of  the  waste  and  destruc- 
tion of  property  in  the  islands  since  the  American 

[105] 


THE    ODYSSEY   OF 

occupation  has  been  by  the  natives  themselves.  Upon 
retreating  from  a  village  it  was  their  frequent  prac- 
tice to  burn  it  to  the  ground  —  a  piece  of  folly  ex- 
plained on  the  theory  of  mock-heroics  or  because 
they  ignorantly  believed  that  by  such  action  our 
troops  would  be  plunged  into  all  the  misery  which 
befell  Napoleon  before  a  burning  Moscow. 

Dinner  was  served  at  eight,  and  it  was  indeed  a 
feast  to  remember.  A  great  mahogany  table  glit- 
tered with  the  finest  china  and  linen,  its  entire  length 
being  set  off  by  massive  bouquets,  pyramids  of  fruit, 
wonderfully  ornamented  cakes,  and  stands  of  most 
elaborately  carved  toothpicks.  The  number  and 
variety  of  courses  were  amazing,  creating  a  sense  of 
wonder  as  to  where  and  how  they  were  all  produced. 
There  were  wines  of  all  kinds  and  color,  the  effect 
of  which  doubtless  added  to  the  conviviality  of  the 
occasion.  Among  the  guests  were  the  Arnedo  boys, 
Macario  and  Eugenio  —  the  young  uncles  of  our 
hostesses  —  who  assumed  the  burden  of  our  enter- 
tainment. Nowhere  have  I  met  more  perfect  and 
gracious  hosts.  All  of  our  party  understood  Span- 
ish, and  most  of  them  spoke  it  passably,  which  added 
greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  the  occasion.  After  din- 
ner there  was  more  music  and  dancing,  followed  by  a 
drive  homeward  through  the  tranquil  peace  of  a 
tropic  night.  I  lodged  at  the  cuartcl,  where  Captain 
Butler  is  stationed  with  a  company  of  soldiers.  They 
occupy  the  convento,  or  priest's  residence,  attached 
to  the  village  church.  There  has  been  some  criticism 
of  the  use  of  these  buildings  by  our  troops,  but  in 

[io6] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

truth  there  are  no  other  structures  In  the  towns  large 
enough  to  accommodate  a  company  of  soldiers.  This 
may  furnish  some  Idea  of  the  palatial  quarters  occu- 
pied by  the  church  dignitaries  of  the  old  days,  who 
were  wont  to  assemble  on  occasion  to  enjoy  material 
as  well  as  spiritual  communion. 

The  next  morning  we  stood  at  the  window  of  the 
convento  and  watched  the  people  gather  for  service. 
They  were  dressed  in  their  bravest  and  best,  and 
their  costumes  were  picturesque  and  becoming.  Some 
of  the  women  were  very  pretty,  many  of  them  hav- 
ing a  poise  of  head  and  beauty  of  neck  and  shoulders 
that  would  be  the  envy  of  women  in  the  States. 
Later  we  went  into  the  gallery  of  the  church  and 
looked  down  the  long  nave,  where  hundreds  were 
kneeling  to  the  solemn  chant  of  the  mass.  It  was  an 
Interesting  and  impressive  sight. 

We  returned  to  Manila  in  the  late  afternoon  tired 
but  content.  A  light  rain  had  fallen,  clearing  the 
atmosphere  and  sharply  defining  the  distant  moun- 
tains beyond  the  green-flecked  fields  of  rice,  and  cane, 
and  feathery  bamboo.  Our  outing  had  proven  a  rare 
treat,  and  we  felt  at  its  end  that  seldom  do  thirty-six 
hours  in  any  life  hold  more  of  vivid  experience  than 
we  had  just  garnered. 


[107] 


VII 

THE  TURNING  OF  THE  TIDE 

Manila,  November  28,  igoo. 
QINCE  my  last  letter  was  written  the  vox  populi 
^  of  our  country  has  decreed,  and  Bryan  and  his 
"Paramount  Issue"  have  gone  down  in  defeat.  It 
has  relieved  the  situation  here  immensely,  and  the 
Commission  and  army  now  feel  free  to  go  ahead  and 
work  out  this  problem  along  the  lines  heretofore  set 
by  the  administration.  There  has  already  been  a 
perceptible  warming  toward  the  authorities  by  those 
leaders  wise  enough  to  read  the  handwriting  on  the 
wall.  It  should  be  plain  to  all  of  them,  and  is  plain 
to  most,  that  further  resistance  will  only  invite  dis- 
aster to  the  people  they  profess  to  serve  and  involve 
their  own  personal  fortunes  and  ambitions  in  possi- 
ble eclipse  or  ruin.  Whatever  ideas  they  yet  retain 
as  to  the  abstract  right  of  their  country  to  inde- 
pendence, or  the  wisdom  of  it,  true  patriotism  would 
certainly  counsel  that  they  take  some  method  other 
than  force  of  arms  to  achieve  it.  Given  conditions 
as  they  now  exist,  our  authorities  are  justified  in 
treating  those  who  still  persist  in  fomenting  disorder 
as  enemies  not  only  to  our  government  but  equally 
so  to  the  wishes  and  best  interests  of  the  great  mass 

[108] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

of  their  own  countrymen.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  most 
of  the  present  "insurrecto"  operations  have  degen- 
erated into  barbarous  attacks  upon  those  of  their 
own  people  who  show  a  desire  to  cooperate  with  us. 
A  quite  recent  case  was  the  murder  of  Eduardo 
Kintero,  Chief  of  Police  of  Tacloban,  Leyte,  who 
had  administered  his  ofiice  faithfully  and  fearlessly. 
To  evidence  our  appreciation  of  his  loyalty,  and  to 
encourage  others  who  are  jeopardizing,  or  may 
jeopardize,  their  lives  and  property  in  our  service, 
the  Commission  has  just  appropriated  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  to  the  widow  and  family  of  the 
deceased,  left  destitute  by  his  death. 

A  noticeable  effect  of  the  election  has  been  an  in- 
creased attendance  upon  the  public  sessions  of  the 
Commission.  The  fact  of  being  permitted  to  freely 
express  their  views  concerning  proposed  legislation 
is  something  new  to  these  people,  and  they  approach 
it  with  diffidence.  They  are  slow  to  realize  that  the 
Commission  is  sincere  in  its  efforts  to  obtain  their 
opinion  and  counsel.  On  several  occasions  when, 
after  profuse  apologies,  some  criticism  was  made  of 
a  pending  measure  and  the  speaker  invited  to  make 
suggestions  he  would  simply  spread  his  hands  and 
remark  that  he  "  could  not  presume  to  give  advice 
to  so  learned  a  body  as  the  Commission."  Among 
others  whp  have  seen  the  light  and  favored  the  Com- 
mission with  their  ideas  and  presence  is  Pedro  A. 
Paterno  —  he  of  "Amnesty  Banquet"  fame.  I  men- 
tion him,  not  because  his  suggestions  have  in  any 
way  lightened  the  burdens  of  the  Commission,  but 

[109] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

as  indicating  how  rapidly  and  completely  the  tide  of 
popular  fav^or  is  turning  our  way.  When  a  Filipino 
of  Paterno's  shrewdness,  whose  every  move  is  gov- 
erned by  self-interest,  casts  his  lot  with  us,  its  signifi- 
cance is  far  reaching  among  a  people  whose  politics 
are  largely  personal. 

The  Commission  has  just  submitted  a  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  dealing  with  the  present  situ- 
ation and  future  needs  of  the  islands.  If  there  is  a 
single  problem  in  government  building  which  is  not 
presented  for  solution  here,  then  this  report  fails  to 
disclose  it.  Had  Spain  purposely  created  a  condition 
to  embarrass  us  she  could  not  have  done  it  more 
completely.  Not  only  did  we  inherit  an  insurrection, 
and  a  church  problem  upon  which  her  own  govern- 
ment was  wrecked,  but  the  whole  administrative  ma- 
chinery is  so  antiquated  and  disorganized  as  not  to 
admit  of  patching  or  repair.  Questions  of  municipal 
and  provincial  law,  of  revenue  and  currency,  of 
courts,  sanitation  and  police,  of  education  and  trans- 
portation, of  land  titles,  forestry  and  mining  —  of 
everything  in  fact  essential  to  organized  society  — 
are  clamoring  for  attention  and  must  needs  be  solved 
with  few,  if  any,  precedents  to  guide.  Into  this  mis- 
cellany of  problems  has  now  entered  another  element 
still  more  uncertain;  i.e.,  the  United  States  Con- 
gress. Thus  far  the  Commission  has  acted  entirely 
under  the  war  power  of  the  President,  but  with  the 
establishment  of  civil  government  many  necessary 
reforms  can  be  accomplished  only  under  express  Con- 
gressional authority  or  sanction.     To  be  compelled, 

[no] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

when  needs  arc  pressing,  to  wait  upon  the  will  of  a 
body  ten  thousand  miles  away,  which  knows  little 
and  possibly  cares  less  about  the  Philippines,  does 
not  make  for  the  happiest  results  in  government. 
A  striking  example  of  such  embarrassment  now  con- 
fronts the  Commission  in  its  dealings  with  the  cur- 
rency problem.  When  we  acquired  the  islands  they 
were  on  a  silver  basis,  the  money  in  use  being  Mexi- 
can dollars  and  a  special  Spanish-Filipino  peso,  the 
exchange  value  of  which  fluctuates  with  the  market 
price  of  silver.  Sometime  prior  to  1898  Spain  pro- 
hibited the  further  importation  of  Mexican  dollars, 
while  the  coinage  of  Spanish  pesos  naturally  ceased 
upon  our  coming.  With  the  supply  of  silver  currency 
thus  shut  off,  came  our  army  of  occupation  with  a 
flood  of  American  gold  and  an  ever-increasing  de- 
mand for  local  currency  in  exchange.  To  meet  this 
demand  the  banks  asked  authority  to  import  Mexican 
dollars  free  of  duty,  agreeing  to  maintain  an  ex- 
change rate  of  not  less  than  two  Mexican  dollars 
for  one  of  gold  up  to  their  importations.  This  per- 
mission was  granted,  and  something  over  twelve  mil- 
lion Mexican  pesos  have  been  imported,  the  banks 
profiting  both  in  their  purchase  of  the  silver  and  in 
its  subsequent  exchange  in  the  islands.  For  some  time 
the  value  of  silver  permitted  a  higher  rate  than  two 
for  one,  but  the  demand  for  silver,  consequent  upon 
the  war  in  China,  having  raised  the  price,  the  banks, 
in  violation  of  their  guarantee,  dropped  the  rate  to 
1.98  Mexican  for  one  of  gold.  As  the  business  of 
the  country  is  done  in  terms  of  silver,  the  immediate 

[III] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

effect  of  this  was  to  discredit  American  money  among 
the  trading  classes,  who,  fearful  of  still  further  re- 
ductions, refused  to  accept  it  except  at  ruinous  dis- 
counts. The  first  effort  of  the  Commission  to  bolster 
the  purchasing  price  of  our  money  was  to  authorize 
the  payment  of  customs  dues  and  internal  revenue 
taxes  in  gold  at  two  to  one.  This  having  proved  in- 
adequate, an  arrangement  was  entered  into  whereby 
the  banks  holding  government  deposits  agreed  to 
freely  purchase  gold  from  the  public  at  two  to  one, 
protecting  themselves  by  transferring  each  week  an 
equivalent  amount  at  the  same  rate  from  the  govern- 
ment silver  account  to  its  gold  account.  While  the 
effect  of  this  was  to  protect  holders  of  American 
money  by  fixing  a  definite  rate,  it  was  made  possible 
only  because  of  the  large  silver  deposits  to  the  credit 
of  the  government.  Should  this  reserve  become  ex- 
hausted, the  arrangement  would  necessarily  fail 
unless  the  government  replenished  its  silver  supply 
by  the  purchase  of  additional  Mexican,  an  operation 
likely  to  prove  expensive.  Between  August  i8  and 
November  17  its  silver  deposit  with  the  Hong  Kong 
&  Shanghai  Bank  decreased  from  $2,440,910  to 
$290,420,  and  that  with  the  Chartered  Bank  some- 
thing over  a  million  pesos.  To  minimize  the  demand 
for  silver  provision  was  made  for  the  payment  of 
all  salaries  in  United  States  currency,  and  that  ap- 
propriations be  made  in  gold  whenever  possible.  In 
the  meantime,  however,  both  the  banks  and  private 
individuals  were  exporting  Mexican  dollars  to  Hong 
Kong,  where  they  were  worth  more  than  their  pur- 

[112] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

chase  price  in  Manila.    To  prevent  this  misuse  of  its 
guarantee  the  Commission  took  the  somewhat  ex- 
traordinary step  of  fixing  a  ten  per  cent  duty  on  all 
exportations  of   Mexican  silver.      Before  that  law 
was  passed,  however,  a  single  Manila  bank  exported 
nearly  a  million  and  a  half  Mexican,  and  other  banks 
and  individuals  probably  as  much  more.     Another 
prolific  source  of  profit  to  the  banks  was  a  require- 
ment that  all  deposits  should  be  made  and  all  checks 
drawn  in  Mexican  currency,  the  result  of  which  was 
that  everyone  receiving  United  States  money  had  to 
convert  it  into  Mexican  for  his  bank  account,  and 
then  change  it  back  into  gold  should  he  purchase 
foreign  exchange.     It  also  worked  havoc  with  the 
silver  reserve  of  the  government,  which  was  called 
upon  to  maintain  the  ratio.     To  close  this  particular 
gap  the  Commission  has  just  enacted  a  law  compel- 
ling banks  to  receive  deposits  both  in  United  States 
money  and  in  local  currency,  and  honor  checks  or 
repay  deposits  in  kind.     Just  when  or  how  the  next 
break  will  occur  remains  to  be  seen,  as  there  is  noth- 
ing final  in  what  has  been  done.     Certainly  our  expe- 
rience  thus   far  furnishes   little   argument  for   free 
silver.     The  only  remedy  is  to  adopt  a  Philippine 
coinage  based  upon  gold  values.     This,  however,  is 
something  the  Commission  is  powerless  to  do,  being 
driven  to  all  manner  of  expedients  to  save  the  situ- 
ation until  Congress  can  or  will  act.     It  has  recom- 
mended that  a  silver  Filipino  peso  be  minted  receiv- 
able in  business  as  equivalent  to  fifty  cents  United 
States  currency,  the  intrinsic  value  of  such  peso  being 

[113] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

made  sufficiently  low  to  prevent  exportation.  With 
the  convertibility  of  this  peso  into  gold  at  fifty  cents 
guaranteed,  the  islands  will  be  furnished  a  perfectly 
stable  and  elastic  currency  without  disturbing  the 
denominations  and  values  to  which  the  people  are 
accustomed.  To  at  once  adopt  United  States  cur- 
rency, when  wages  and  prices  are  fixed  In  terms  of 
silver,  would  produce  business  chaos.  Let  us  see 
how  soon  Congress  will  appreciate  our  predicament 
and  furnish  relief. 

Manila  was  stirred  somewhat  last  week  by  the 
return  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry  from  the  China 
campaign.  Whatever  else  this  life  here  may  hold, 
its  different  scenes  and  events  have  power  to  make 
very  real  to  us  many  things  which  were  rather  vague 
at  home.  The  story  of  what  England  has  done  and 
is  doing  in  India,  the  work  of  the  Dutch  in  Java,  and 
of  the  French  in  Indo-China,  the  awakening  of 
Japan,  the  march  of  Russia  to  the  Pacific,  the  future 
of  China  —  all  this  takes  on  new  meaning  here,  and 
you  feel  yourself  a  part  somehow  of  the  great  drama 
now  unfolding  in  the  Orient. 

Our  returning  soldiers  have  much  to  tell  of  what 
happened  during  the  China  expedition,  and,  news- 
papers to  the  contrary,  are  exhibiting  large  quantities 
of  valuable  "  loot"  to  point  their  stories.  Rich  as  is 
their  spoil,  however,  it  would  seem  to  be  a  mere 
bagatelle  compared  to  that  annexed  by  their  more 
enterprising  allies.  The  tales  told  of  that  march 
upon  Pckin,  and  of  the  subsequent  conduct  of  the 
troops  and  foreign  populace,  are  almost  incredible  in 

[114] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

their  enormity.  The  amount  of  goods  ana  property 
deliberately  looted  or  wantonly  destroyed  is  beyond 
estimate,  and  this,  too,  from  non-combatants,  whose 
only  part  in  the  Boxer  movement  was  being  situated 
in  the  path  of  the  relief  columns.  Whole  villages 
were  given  over  to  pillage,  rapine  and  slaughter, 
while  Pekin  itself  became  a  vast  treasure  house  to  be 
plundered  at  will  by  soldiers  and  civilians.  Those 
who  were  wronged  had  no  spokesmen,  and  the 
damnable  things  done  to  them,  and  the  misery  and 
injustice  suffered,  will  likely  never  be  heralded  to  the 
world. 

The  spectacle  offered  by  the  so-called  Christian 
nations  In  China  has  not  been  one  to  make  us  proud. 
We  have  held  the  American  Indian  up  to  execration 
because  he  visited  his  vengeance  upon  the  unoffend- 
ing, but  he  was  a  savage,  while  we  who  have  done 
this  thing  pretend  to  much.  Even  as  to  the  Boxers, 
was  their  movement  so  very  unreasonable  or  un- 
natural? They  were  simply  trying  to  preserve  their 
own  customs  and  religion,  and  to  prevent  the  unwel- 
come interference  of  foreigners  with  the  resting 
places  of  their  dead  and  with  traditions  grown  sacred 
through  the  practice  of  untold  ages.  Other  peoples 
have  been  applauded  for  such  a  stand  as  theirs.  I 
appreciate  there  Is  Involved  In  all  this  the  mooted 
question  of  our  religious  missions  in  China,  and  of 
our  obligation  to  save  what  are  termed  "heathen 
souls."  It  is  a  matter  upon  which  opinions  differ, 
and  upon  which  few  persons  have  more  than  theo- 
retical notions.    To  many  who  have  studied  the  situ- 

[115] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

atlon  on  the  ground  the  whoie  thing  appears  to  be  an 
expenditure  of  effort  and  of  treasure  which  could  be 
directed  to  far  better  advantage  at  home.     These 
people  have  a  religion.     It  satisfies  their  ideas,  and 
is  a  product  of  their  environment,  and  of  a  civiliza- 
tion far  more  ancient  and  less  mutable  than  our  own. 
Why  should  we  seek  to  supplant  their  beliefs  with 
one  we  have  inherited,  which,  while  perhaps  better 
for  us,  may  be  entirely  unsuited  to  them.    The  man- 
ner of  their  lives  and  the  bent  of  their  thoughts 
cannot  be  changed  by  dogma.     Religion  is  just  as 
much  a  matter  of  evolution  as  are  other  modes  of 
thought  and  feeling,  and  is  fitted  to  a  people  much 
as  is  the  costume  they  wear  or  the  food  they  eat. 
Before  you  can  permanently  transform  their  faith 
you  must  transform  their  view  of  life,  their  mode  of 
living,   and  their  conception  of  existence.     This  Is 
not  done  by  preaching,  but  by  bringing  to  them  those 
material  and  mental  conditions  which  have  fitted  us 
for   our   particular   belief.      Privileges   of   various 
kinds   in   favor   of   foreign   missions,    forced   upon 
China  by  the  powers,  have  been  a  source  of  frequent 
friction  and  disorder,  with  their  consequent  excuse 
for  intervention  on  the  part  of  the  country  whose 
citizens  were  molested.     How  far  we  are  justified 
in  forcing  our  commerce  and  our  educational  ideas 
upon  the  Chinese  is  for  the  nations  to  decide,  but 
only  when  such  Is  done  will  they  come  to  our  concep- 
tion of  life  and  our  view  of  man's  duty  to  man  and 
his  obligation  to  the  Creator.     Until  then  orthodox 
Christianity,  with  its  doctrines  of  the  Trinity  and  of 

[ii6] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

vicarious  atonement,  and  with  its  different  and  rival 
sects  each  claiming  to  point  the  true  road  to  heaven, 
will  be  a  difficult  thing  for  the  Oriental  mind  to 
either  apprehend  or  adopt.  Good  work  has 
undoubtedly  been  done,  and  is  doing,  by  our  mis- 
sions in  China,  but  the  wider  question  suggests 
whether  the  results  achieved  justify  the  large  ex- 
penditure of  life  and  treasure  involved,  and  whether 
the  same  energy  and  the  same  money  would  not  yield 
a  bigger  and  a  better  harvest  if  expended  among  our 
own  people,  free  from  all  political  upheavals  and 
unrest. 


Manila,  December  75,  igoo. 
The  Commission  has  been  wrestling  for  some  time 
with  a  liquor  license  law  for  Manila.  The  peculiar 
conditions  existing  here  seem  to  make  for  a  greater 
use  and  abuse  of  intoxicants  than  at  home.  The  fact 
of  climate  and  of  being  "East  of  Suez"  doubtless 
have  much  to  do  with  creating  a  thirst,  but  the  lack' 
of  home  and  social  restraints  and  of  legitimate  diver- 
sions also  figure  largely  in  the  equation.  The  saloon, 
the  beer  hall,  and  hotel  and  club  bars  have  become 
the  natural  gathering  places  for  those  with  time 
upon  their  hands.  As  regards  the  sak)ons,  a  very 
large  number  of  them  front  flush  on  the  Escolta,  the 
principal  thoroughfare  and  shopping  center  of  the 
city.  As  most  of  the  thirsty  ones  have  some  sort  of 
vehicle  in  waiting,  the  narrow  streets  and  scant  side- 
walks are  frequently  so  jammed  as  to  be  almost  im- 

[117] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

passable.  Owing  to  our  large  army  of  occupation, 
American  soldiers  naturally  predominate  in  these 
places,  and  as  they  usually  imbibe  with  the  same  zest 
that  they  fight  the  spectacle  afforded  passersby  is 
often  anything  but  edifying.  This  is  particularly 
true  in  view  of  the  fact  that  few  Filipinos  ever  be- 
come intoxicated.  The  native  police  are  powerless 
to  quiet  or  quell  the  frequent  disorders  which  arise, 
while  our  soldier  police  are  inclined  to  be  lenient 
with  their  comrades.  While  all  of  our  soldiers  are 
not  drinkers,  the  impression  one  gets  is  that  the 
exception  is  small. 

As  finally  passed  by  the  Commission,  the  law  not 
only  raises  the  liquor  license  tax  but  prohibits  all 
saloons  on  the  Escolta,  Calle  Rosario,  and  other  im- 
portant streets  and  plazas.  It  also  forbids  the  sale 
of  any  native  wines  such  as  "vino,"  "  anisado," 
"tuba,"  etc.,  to  American  soldiers.  While  these 
concoctions  are  not  particularly  deadly  If  taken  in 
moderation,  they  are  very  much  so  when  consumed 
with  the  ambition  peculiar  to  many  of  our  soldiers. 
The  purpose  of  the  law  is  to  reduce  the  number  of 
saloons  and  to  drive  them  from  the  principal  streets 
to  less  conspicuous  places.  While  it  will  not  alto- 
gether remedy  the  evil,  it  will  relieve  the  public  of 
the  worst  exhibitions  of  it.  One  speaker  before  the 
Commission,  with  a  naivete  that  was  refreshing, 
asked  if  the  law  would  interfere  with  his  business 
of  manufacturing  liqueurs.  Inquiry  developed  that 
he  was  producing  from  drugs  and  chemicals  in  an 
Escolta  storeroom  various  high-priced  liqueurs,  such 

[ii8] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

as  benedictine,  etc.,  which  were  being  consumed  by 
our  epicures  as  fancy  products  of  French  and  Span- 
ish vintage.  The  law  was  naturally  opposed  by  the 
saloonkeepers  and  by  American  commercial  houses, 
the  latter  of  which  derive  their  largest  profit  from  the 
sale  of  intoxicants. 

Another  important  matter  before  the  Commission, 
and  which  has  given  rise  to  lengthy  public  discus- 
sion, is  the  proposed  tariff  governing  imports  into 
the  islands.  As  the  new  system  will  be  a  radical 
departure  from  the  old  Spanish  rates  in  force,  the 
different  importers  are  much  concerned.  The  act  is 
now  being  gone  over  item  by  item  preparatory  to 
sending  to  Washington.  It  will  there  be  published  in 
various  trade  journals,  and  an  opportunity  given  our 
exporters  to  be  heard  upon  it.  As  soon  as  returned 
it  will  be  enacted  into  law  and  the  present  unequal 
and  unsatisfactory  schedules  will  be  relegated  to 
history. 

It  has  fallen  to  the  Igorotes  of  Benguet  to  be  the 
first  of  the  island  people  to  receive  civil  government. 
Although  not  partial  to  clothes,  and  with  a  reputation 
for  dog  eating  which  has  somewhat  sullied  their 
fame,  these  men  of  the  hills  are  said  to  be  sturdy 
and  self-reliant,  with  little  yearning  for  indepen- 
dencia.  Spain  concerned  herself  very  little  with 
them,  her  efforts  at  government  being  limited  to  one 
or  two  military  posts,  with  a  sprinkling  of  coast  Fili- 
pinos occupying  minor  positions  in  the  villages.  Now 
that  their  mountain  retreat  promises  to  become  the 
summer  capital   of  the   islands,   with   an   influx   of 

[119] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

people  in  search  of  health  and  treasure,  some  form 
of  government  is  essential. 

Two  acts  have  been  passed,  one  extending  a  form 
of  civil  government  to  the  townships  and  the  other 
to  the  province.  In  the  former,  authority  is  con- 
ferred upon  the  Igorotes  to  elect  their  own  president 
and  council,  upon  whom  certain  simple  duties  and 
obligations  are  imposed.  They  are  to  fix  the  salaries 
of  duly  authorized  officers  and  employes,  to  care  for 
the  construction  and  repair  of  trails  and  bridges,  to 
preserve  public  order,  to  manage  the  property  of  the 
township,  to  fix  certain  license  taxes,  to  make  appro- 
priations for  lawful  expenditures,  to  erect  needful 
government  buildings,  to  enforce  sanitary  regula- 
tions, and  do  various  other  things  of  purely  local 
concern.  All  ordinances  and  rules  passed  by  them, 
however,  are  subject  to  approval  by  the  provincial 
governor  before  becoming  effective.  Provision  is 
made  for  a  meeting  of  all  the  presidents  twice  a 
year  to  confer  with  the  provincial  governor.  They 
are  also  authorized  to  elect  a  popular  representative, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  report  to  the  chief  executive  any 
grievance  for  which  the  people  cannot  obtain  redress 
from  the  provincial  authorities.  The  underlying  idea 
is  to  awalcen  an  interest  in  the  people  by  giving  them 
active  participation  in  local  affairs  and  at  the  same 
time  retain  sufficient  control  to  prevent  injustice  to 
individuals. 

The  officers  of  the  province  are  a  governor,  secre- 
tary, and  Inspector.  They  are  entrusted  with  large 
powers  of  supervision  over  the  towns,  and  are  to  act 

[  I20] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

as  guides,  counselors,  and  friends  of  the  people  in 
every  emergency.  Should  any  municipal  council  fail 
to  perform  its  duties,  the  governor  is  authorized  to 
issue  suitable  orders  for  securing  action,  which  orders 
have  the  force  of  law.  His  general  duty  is  outlined 
as  follows: 

The  constant  aim  of  the  governor  shall  be  to  aid 
the  people  of  the  several  townships  of  the  province 
to  acquire  the  knowledge  and  experience  necessary 
for  successful  local  popular  government,  and  his 
supervision  and  control  shall  be  confined  within  the 
narrowest  limits  consistent  with  the  requirement 
that  the  powers  of  government  in  the  townships 
shall  be  honestly  and  effectively  exercised,  and  that 
law  and  order  and  individual  freedom  shall  be  main- 
tained. 

The  Commission  was  greatly  assisted  in  the 
preparation  of  these  acts  by  Mr.  Otto  Sheerer,  a 
German  of  education,  who  has  lived  among  the  Igo- 
rotes  for  a  number  of  years,  and  who  not  only  speaks 
their  language  but  seems  to  have  Identified  himself 
largely  with  their  life  and  interests.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Provincial  Secretary,  while  H  .  Phelps 
Whitmarsh,  a  journalist  and  writer,  with  a  wide 
experience  of  people  and  places,  has  been  appointed 
Provincial  Governor. 

It  is  hoped  to  have  a  wagon  road  Into  Bagulo 
within  a  comparatively  short  time.  Capt.  C.  W. 
Mead,  U.  S.  V.,  the  engineer  in  charge  of  survey, 
reports  that  such  a  road  can  be  completed  within 
six  months  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  An  act  has  accord- 

[121] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ingly  been  drafted  appropriating  this  amount  and 
directing  that  the  work  be  pushed  to  completion  by 
July  I,  1901. 


Manila,  January  5,  igoi. 
Much  has  happened  since  my  previous  letter,  both 
politically  and  otherwise.  Possibly  the  event  of 
greatest  importance,  and  one  which  has  most  heart- 
ened the  Commission  in  its  work,  was  the  creation 
during  December  of  what  is  known  as  the  Federal 
Party.  Through  this  party,  organized  by  the  most 
influential  and  representative  Filipinos  of  the  islands, 
there  has  been  crystallized  into  definite  form  the 
desire  of  the  great  body  of  the  people  to  end  hostili- 
ties. It  has  for  its  platform  peace  under  American 
sovereignty,  with  eventual  statehood  under  our  flag. 
Dr.  T.  H.  Pardo  de  Tavera,  a  Filipino  of  brilliant 
attainments  and  of  European  training  and  culture, 
is  president  of  the  party,  while  among  its  directors 
and  members  are  men  who  ranked  high  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  insurgent  government  at  Malolos,  and  who 
are  recognized  as  leaders  among  their  people. 
Branches  are  being  established  throughout  the 
islands,  and  the  movement  is  bound  to  have  a  tre- 
mendous influence  for  good.  The  evident  sincerity 
of  the  Commission,  and  the  spirit  of  justice  which 
has  animated  its  work,  have  convinced  thinking  and 
earnest  Filipinos  that  they  can  safely  trust  their 
destiny  to  our  keeping.  Many  Filipinos  in  the  prov- 
inces, however,  who  know  nothing  but  the  rigors  of 

[  122] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

military  rule,  can  hardly  be  expected  to  appreciate 
our  benevolent  intentions.  To  such  of  these  as  are 
sincere  in  their  struggle  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  new 
party  to  send  agents  to  explain  what  the  Commission 
has  done,  and  proposes  doing,  and  urge  their  sur- 
render. More  than  anything  else,  however,  the  party 
will  furnish  a  rallying  point  for  all  those  willing  to 
accept  our  sovereignty,  but  who,  through  want  of 
organization,  have  thus  far  been  terrified  into 
silence.  As  the  sub-committees  in  the  various  towns 
are  composed  largely  of  those  to  whom  the  people 
look  for  guidance,  it  will  give  the  latter  courage  to 
resist  the  impositions  of  guerrilla  and  ladrone  bands 
that  now  levy  contributions  upon  them  under  the 
guise  of  "military  orders." 

At  present  our  army  is  principally  occupied  in  pro- 
tecting and  policing  the  provincial  towns,  and  in 
heart-breaking  "hikes"  after  these  guerrilla  bands. 
The  task  of  wiping  them  out  is  almost  hopeless,  how- 
ever, unless  the  people  themselves  coope;rate  by 
denouncing  the  offenders  and  refusing  them  informa- 
tion and  supplies.  Much  of  the  country  is  rough  and 
broken,  and  the  enemy  when  hard  pressed  have  a 
habit  of  hiding  their  guns  and  becoming  all  at  once 
most  innocent  looking  aminos.  If  exasperated  sol- 
diers occasionally  apply  the  "water  cure"  as  an  aid 
to  memory,  there  is  some  provocation  if  not  justifica- 
tion for  their  act.  It  is  with  toil  and  travail,  and  with 
blood  and  money,  that  we  are  getting  back  those 
rifles  distributed  by  Dewey  to  Aguinaldo's  army. 

Another  move  which  will  likely  have  a  salutary 

[123] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

effect  is  an  order  just  issued  for  the  deportation  to 
Guam  of  certain  prominent  agitators  now  confined  in 
Manila.  This  will  not  only  eliminate  them  from  the 
scene  but  will  convince  others  that  the  day  for 
temporizing  has  passed  and  that  further  resistance 
to  our  authority  cannot  go  unpunished.  To  coddle 
this  class  of  persons  longer  would  be  unfair  to  all 
those  Filipinos  who  desire  peace  and  who  are 
cooperating  with  us  in  securing  it. 

McKinley's  election,  and  the  more  stringent  policy 
now  being  pursued,  have  resulted  in  a  rapid  improve- 
ment of  conditions.  In  the  Island  of  Panay  alone 
over  35,000  persons  have  taken  the  oath  of 
allegiance  since  November.  The  few  scattered 
insurgents  still  out  are  showing  little  aggressiveness, 
and  many  of  them  are  negotiating  surrender.  As 
for  Aguinaldo,  he  is  believed  to  be  hiding  some- 
where among  the  mountains  of  Northern  Luzon. 
Except  for  the  sentimental  influence  exerted  by  his 
still  being  at  large,  he  has  ceased  to  be  a  factor  in  the 
situation. 

We  have  celebrated  our  first  Christmas  and  New 
Year  In  the  Philippines,  but  there  was  little  to  identify 
the  time  except  the  calendar.  The  heat  of  tropic 
skies  and  the  foliage  of  a  perpetual  summer  do  not 
harmonize  with  our  conception  of  the  holiday  sea- 
son. Memory  persisted  in  calling  up  visions  of  snow 
and  ice,  of  cool,  crisp  air,  of  gorgeous  shop  windows, 
of  kindred  and  friends,  and  all  the  glad  cheer  to 
which  we  are  exile.  One  felt  that  he  was  being  cheated ; 
that    Providence    or    the    weather   man    had    some- 

[124] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

how  gotten  things  mixed.  It  was  a  time  of  home- 
sickness, with  a  burden  of  longing  for  the  things  that 
were  which  refused  to  be  satisfied.  The  "  staring 
Eastern  days"  came  and  went  with  nothing  to  mark 
them  except  the  ceaseless  ringing  of  church  bells. 
These  latter  pounded  and  clamored  for  nine  days, 
beginning  at  the  unholy  hour  of  five  in  the  morning. 
I  have  not  yet  solved,  nor  have  I  had  explained,  just 
what  connection  there  is  between  the  sleep-destroying 
practice  and  anything  either  Christmas  or  Christian. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  escape  from  Manila 
over  Christmas,  having  been  invited  to  spend  the  day 
with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  at  Apalit.  While  a 
greater  contrast  between  their  surroundings  and  any- 
thing to  be  found  in  the  States  could  hardly  be 
imagined,  there  was  the  compensation  of  novelty  and 
good  comradeship,  Christmas  eve  witnessed  an 
elaborate  church  procession,  the  native  padre  and 
image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  lead,  followed  by  a  con- 
course of  villagers  with  gayly  lighted  "  floats,"  tissue 
lanterns,  and  a  band.  Mass  was  celebrated  at  mid- 
night, which  we  heard  from  the  choir  loft.  Report 
had  it  that  later  some  of  the  prominent  citizens, 
including  the  padre,  played  monte  until  daybreak,  but 
there  may  be  a  mistake  as  to  the  hour. 

Christmas  day  held  a  variety  of  diversions.  The 
Thomas  "nipa"  fronts  directly  on  the  main  thor- 
oughfare, and  furnished  a  coign  of  vantage  to  ob- 
serve the  restless  flow  of  village  life.  Just  at  their 
gate  Is  a  native  ticuda,  whose  presiding  goddess, 
being  quite   comely.    Is   popular   with   our  soldiers. 

[125] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Early  Christmas  morning  I  overheard  two  of  the 
latter  discussing  the  weighty  problem  of  church  go- 
ing. Finally  one  of  them,  who  had  evidently  been 
celebrating  well  if  not  wisely,  remarked  to  his  com- 
rade: "I  have  been  to  church  every  Christmas  in 
my  life,  and  I  am  going  today  if  I  die  the  next  min- 
ute." Let  us  hope  his  resolution  carried  no  such 
disastrous  consequence.  In  the  afternoon  Captain 
Butler  drove  by  in  an  army  ambulance  and  short 
calls  were  made  on  the  Arnedos,  Buencaminos, 
Espiritus,  and  others.  We  were  received  at  each 
place  with  good  cheer  and  a  hospitality  truly 
genuine. 

We  took  dinner  that  evening  at  the  ciiartel  with 
Captain  Butler  and  Lieutenant  Pond,  the  other 
guests  being  Macario  and  Eugenio  Arnedo,  of 
Apalit,  and  Tomas  G.  del  Rosario  and  Ramon 
Genato,  of  Manila.  A  village  turkey  had  been  sacri- 
ficed and  the  army  commissary  drawn  upon  for  such 
dainties  as  it  afforded.  The  dinner  was  purely  Amer- 
ican. Dishes  were  few  and  the  cutlery  such  as  army 
life  affords.  The  table  was  set  in  the  long  hall  run- 
ning the  length  of  the  convent  building,  our  light 
being  two  kerosene  lamps,  which  acted  as  beacons 
for  all  manner  of  winged  creatures.  Grasshoppers 
and  crickets  held  high  festival  on  the  board,  and  it 
frequently  became  necessary  to  carefully  fish  them 
from  our  glasses.  Such  things,  however,  were  a 
mere  detail  to  what  proved  a  most  interesting  and 
delightful  spread.  Our  Filipino  friends,  who  are 
highly  educated  and  traveled,  were  fully  alive  to  the 

[126] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

issues  of  the  day  and  threw  many  sidelights  on  condi- 
tions in  the  islands  both  preceding  and  immediately 
following  American  occupation.  Seiior  Rosarlo, 
who  is  now  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  new  Federal 
party,  was  one  of  Spain's  deportados,  having  spent 
some  time  in  one  of  her  north  African  penal  colonies. 
The  character  they  gave  the  former  regime  was  nat- 
urally anything  but  flattering.  It  chanced  that  on 
my  return  to  Manila  next  day  I  shared  a  compart- 
ment with  a  Spaniard  who  has  spent  most  of  his  life 
in  the  Philippines  and  who  held  high  position  under 
his  government.  He  gave  me  the  Spanish  side  of  the 
story,  and  it  was  in  vivid  contrast  to  the  one  heard 
the  previous  evening.  He  said  there  were  but  three 
honest  Filipinos  In  the  islands,  naming  them,  and 
that  the  others  were  utterly  untrustworthy.  His  talk 
breathed  all  of  the  medieval  Spanish  spirit,  there 
being  a  profusion  of  recommendations  to  shoot,  kill, 
and  destroy,  our  plan  of  granting  the  people  a  par- 
ticipation in  the  government  being  scouted  as  alto- 
gether Utopian.  With  us  in  the  compartment,  and 
inclined  to  agree  with  the  Spanish  Colonel,  was  an 
Englishman,  now  secretary  to  General  Bates.  He  is 
of  the  adventurous  type  and  has  been  a  wanderer 
most  of  his  days.  From  his  story  he  was  through  the 
rebellion  In  Brazil  which  overthrew  the  monarchy 
of  Don  Pedro;  was  five  years  In  South  Africa,  where 
he  took  part  In  the  Matabele  campaign,  and  partici- 
pated In  the  survey  of  the  Cape  to  Cairo  telegraph 
line,  having  been  alone  near  Victoria  Falls  fourteen 
months  without  seeing  a  white  face;  he  served  also 

[127] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

for  a  time  on  the  staff  of  the  Viceroy  of  India,  hunt- 
ing tigers  in  far  interior  Indian  provinces.  There  is 
scarcely  a  country  he  has  not  visited.  This  far  edge 
of  the  world  holds  many  such  strange  characters, 
and  while  some  of  them  are  adventurers,  and  some 
are  outside  the  pale,  it  is  to  be  said  that  few  of  them 
are  fools.  The  foolish  and  the  dull  do  not,  as  a  rule, 
stray  very  far  from  home  or  the  beaten  paths  of 
life. 

On  New  Year's  eve  occurred  the  monthly  dance 
of  the  Army  &  Navy  Assembly  at  the  Provost  Mar- 
shal Building.  The  departure  of  the  old  year  and  the 
old  century,  and  the  advent  of  the  new,  were  im- 
pressively marked.  Just  before  twelve  o'clock  two 
buglers  stepped  out  and  the  mellow  call  of  "taps" 
sounded  through  the  hall.  Then,  as  the  midnight 
gun  boomed  over  the  city,  the  buglers  again  ad- 
vanced and  there  rang  out  clear  and  sweet  the  call 
of  "  reveille,"  the  awakening  of  a  new  year  and  of 
the  new  century.  As  the  echo,  with  all  its  mighty 
suggestion,  died  away,  the  band  crashed  into  the 
strains  of  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  which  always 
causes  one's  blood  to  riot.  Never,  however,  has  its 
message  come  to  me  with  more  thrilling  power  than 
in  that  hour  when,  standing  on  the  verge  of  the 
twentieth  century,  one's  mind  leaped  forward  to  all 
that  could  or  might  happen  to  our  country  and  to 
mankind  before  another  such  epoch  dawned  upon 
the  world.  In  this  far  off  land,  where  strife  and 
turmoil  exist,  and  where  the  passions  of  men  are 
stirred  over  real  or  fancied  wrongs,  one's  patriotism 

[128] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Is  reborn,  and  all  question  of  our  country's  high  pur- 
pose or  destiny  is  fiercely  challenged.  Whatever  may 
be  the  feelings  of  this  people  toward  us  today,  there 
rests  with  me  the  belief  and  the  conviction  that  a 
hundred  years  from  now  their  descendants  will  bless 
the  chance  that  brought  our  flag  to  their  shores  and 
taught  them  the  message  for  which  it  has  ever  stood 
—  Liberty,  Progress,  and  Equality. 

On  New  Year's  afternoon  eight  of  us,  upon  invi- 
tation of  General  Frederick  Grant,  took  the  train  for 
Angeles,  some  four  hours  north  of  Manila,  where  he 
has  his  headquarters.  In  the  party  were  Commis- 
sioners Moses  and  Worcester,  Miss  Briggs,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  LeRoy,  Mr.  Winthrop,  Mr.  Emery  (Asso- 
ciated Press  correspondent),  and  myself.  We  had  a 
special  car  set  apart  for  us  and  the  railroad  trip  was 
made  in  comparative  comfort.  Upon  reaching 
Angeles  we  were  lodged  at  headquarters,  and  found 
General  Grant  a  genial  and  capital  host.  After  din- 
ner—  which  destroyed  any  illusions  we  may  have 
had  as  to  the  privations  of  provincial  life  —  we 
strolled  about  the  village  in  the  soft  moonlight,  which 
lit  up  with  gorgeous  splendor  the  palms  and  tropical 
foliage  of  the  nipa-lined  streets. 

One  of  the  objects  of  our  visit  was  to  see  some 
"  Negritos,"  the  aboriginal  race  of  the  islands,  quite 
a  number  of  whom  still  inhabit  the  Zambales  Moun- 
tains. They  have  nothing  of  the  Malay  about  them, 
and  are  classed  by  ethnologists  among  the  lowest 
order  of  human  beings  now  extant.  The  rendezvous 
was  to  be  a  little  village  among  the  foothills,  about 

[129] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

nine  miles  distant.  The  start  was  made  at  eight- 
thirty  next  morning  in  army  ambulances,  the  road 
proving  of  the  roughest.  As  we  were  now  in  the 
"  enemy's  country,"  we  were  accompanied  by  a 
mounted  escort  of  one  hundred  men.  The  effect  was 
quite  warlike,  particularly  when  we  came  to  a  large 
clearing,  or  crossed  a  flowing  stream,  where  the 
troops  were  all  visible.  On  reaching  our  destination 
we  found  that  our  expected  host,  who  had  arranged 
to  secure  the  Negritos,  was  in  jail.  After  inviting 
the  General  and  party  to  visit  him,  and  making  prep- 
arations for  the  feast,  correspondence  was  dis- 
covered showing  him  to  be  the  insurgent  president 
of  Bacolor,  a  large  adjoining  town.  He  sent  word 
from  jail,  however,  to  repair  to  his  house,  where 
the  Negritos  would  be  waiting  for  us.  His  wife  and 
son  received  us  quite  hospitably  and  seemed  little 
concerned  about  the  fate  of  the  head  of  the  house. 
The  wife  remarked  that  if  he  was  guilty  it  served 
him  right  to  be  in  jail.  The  incident  illustrates  how 
abnormal  is  the  situation  here,  and  how  impossible 
it  is  to  know  the  real  thoughts  of  these  people  from 
anything  they  profess. 

Only  five  Negritos  had  been  secured,  three  men 
and  two  women,  as  they  are  very  timid.  They  are 
small  of  stature,  and  though  their  hair  is  kinky,  they 
have  none  of  the  features  of  the  African  negro.  They 
are  inoffensive  and  have  given  our  soldiers  no 
trouble.  They  performed  a  weird  sort  of  dance  to 
the  music  of  a  bamboo  band,  and  also  gave  some 
rather  remarkable  exhibitions  with  a  bow  and  arrow, 

[  130] 


Negritos  in  the   Forest 


Negritos    at    Home 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

their  only  weapon.  Altogether  it  was  a  strange 
gathering,  grading  up  through  every  class  of  human- 
ity from  the  little  black  men,  with  their  primitive 
intelligence,  to  the  highest  types  of  American  man- 
hood and  womanhood.  The  setting  was  an  ideal 
one,  the  outlook  being  over  a  broad  sweep  of  hill, 
mountain,  and  valley,  reminding  one  much  of 
Switzerland.  Our  drive  back  to  Angeles  In  the  late 
afternoon  was  picturesque  and  refreshing.  After 
dinner  we  sat  on  the  broad  veranda  chatting  and 
listening  to  a  band  concert.  The  air  was  pleasantly 
cool,  while  the  bright  moonlight  on  the  palms  and 
the  white-garbed  figures  about  us  served  to  make  a 
strangely  foreign  picture.  General  Grant  told  of  his 
work  in  the  province  and  recited  many  interesting 
stories  connected  with  the  people.  He  is  very  demo- 
cratic and  has  been  quite  successful  in  his  work  of 
pacification.  We  returned  to  Manila  the  following 
afternoon,  feeling  that  we  had  added  another 
valuable  experience  to  our  fast  Increasing  store. 


[131] 


VIII 

PROVINCIAL,  MUNICIPAL,  AND  SCHOOL 

LAWS 

Manila,  January  75,  igoi. 
/^NE  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  for  the  future  of 
^^  this  people  is  their  eagerness  for  an  education. 
The  demand  for  schools  has  been  so  insistent  that 
the  Commission  is  giving  the  matter  preferred  atten- 
tion. During  Spanish  rule  education  was  controlled 
largely  by  the  clergy,  with  the  result  that  religion 
and  religious  subjects  composed  most  of  the  curricu- 
lum. Scarcely  any  effort  was  made  to  teach  Spanish 
to  the  masses,  and  possibly  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the 
children  of  school  age  today  speak  only  their  local 
dialect.  None  of  these  dialects  possess  any  litera- 
ture of  consequence,  and  to  give  instruction  in  any 
of  them  would  simply  perpetuate  the  provincialism 
of  the  people.  While  Spanish  is  spoken  by  most  of 
the  gente  ftna,  or  influential  class,  their  number  is 
small  compared  with  the  whole  population.  What 
the  people  require,  if  any  scheme  of  ultimate  inde- 
pendence is  to  be  realized,  is  the  unifying  influence 
of  a  common  language,  with  a  literature  telling 
something  of  governments  whose  people  have 
learned  to  submit  to  the  will  of  a  majority.     We 

[132] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

have  promised  to  train  them  along  this  path,  and 
consequently  propose  to  do  at  once  what  Spain  never 
did  in  all  her  sovereignty;  i.e.,  teach  the  people  one 
language  —  English  —  throughout  the  entire  archi- 
pelago. Although  this  policy  may  create  a  single 
tongue  to  criticise  us  and  to  demand  our  withdrawal, 
we  are  big  enough  to  take  this  risk  and  to  meet  it 
when  it  comes. 

The  question  upon  which  there  is  most  argument 
is  whether  religious  instruction  shall  be  permitted 
in  the  schools.  Ordinarily  it  would  make  little  dif- 
ference, but  with  the  fierce  hatred  existing  here 
against  the  Friars,  any  action  seeming  to  favor  them 
is  construed  as  a  surrender  to  their  influence.  We 
are  told  by  the  speakers  that  church  and  state  are 
entirely  separate  in  America,  and  are  asked  why  the 
same  principle  should  not  apply  here.  Many  good 
Catholics,  on  the  other  hand,  cannot  understand  a 
system  of  education  wherein  the  religious  element  is 
lacking,  placing  the  training  of  their  children  in 
church  doctrine  far  above  mere  worldly  knowledge. 
Much  eloquence  has  been  spent  on  the  subject,  it 
being  the  first  important  question  upon  which  the 
Commission  has  divided.  Judge  Taft  and  Commis- 
sioners Wright  and  Worcester  feel  some  account 
should  be  taken  of  the  fact  that  for  generations 
religious  instruction  has  been  a  matter  for  State 
Intervention.  Commissioners  Ide  and  Moses  believe 
the  public  schools  and  questions  of  dogma  and  doc- 
trine should  be  altogether  divorced.  The  act  as 
finally  drawn  makes  certain  concessions  to  the  church, 

[133] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

but  with  such  restrictions  as  to  disarm  serious  objec- 
tion. Regular  teachers  are  forbidden  to  teach  or 
criticise  the  doctrines  of  any  church,  or  attempt  to 
influence  their  pupils  for  or  against  any  religious 
sect.  The  priest  or  minister  of  any  church  is  per- 
mitted, however,  to  use  the  school  building  for  half 
an  hour  three  times  a  week  for  religious  instruction; 
this  for  pupils  whose  parents  wish  it  and  express  a 
desire  therefor  in  writing  filed  with  the  principal 
teacher  of  the  school.  Any  religious  teacher  who 
uses  this  privilege  to  rouse  disloyalty  to  the  United 
States,  or  to  discourage  the  attendance  of  pupils  at 
the  public  schools,  will  be  denied  further  entrance  to 
the  school  building.  The  substance  of  the  concession 
is  that  government  property  may  be  used  under  cer- 
tain limitations  for  religious  purposes.  As  there 
are  more  churches  than  schools  in  the  islands,  and 
the  use  of  the  latter  by  the  church  authorities  will 
likely  be  misconstrued  by  the  ignorant  and  preju- 
diced, the  necessity  or  wisdom  of  the  concession  is 
open  to  question.  How  it  will  work  out  remains  to 
be  seen. 


January  2i,  igoi. 
For  some  weeks  a  Municipal  Code  and  a  Pro- 
vincial Government  Act  have  been  under  prepara- 
tion by  the  Commission.  As  these  acts  will  define 
the  participation  to  be  given  the  people  in  their  local 
affairs,  there  has  been  considerable  concern  in  shap- 
ing their  provisions.     Under  Spain  the  archipelago 

[134] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

was  divided  into  forty-seven  provinces  or  districts, 
which  were  subdivided  into  some  nine  hundred 
municipalities.  It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Commission 
to  retain  these  old  divisions  so  far  as  economical 
administration  will  permit,  the  people  placing  great 
store  upon  their  particular  towns  and  provinces. 
The  proposed  Municipal  Code  is  now  undergoing 
public  dissection,  and,  like  the  brook,  the  talk 
threatens  to  go  on  forever.  Any  lack  of  interest 
originally  shown  in  these  meetings  is  now  being 
amply  compensated,  the  session  hall  being  crowded. 
As  recorder  it  is  my  duty  to  make  a  verbatim  report 
of  the  various  speeches  and  then  condense  them  for 
the  Commission  records.  Very  often  this  simmering 
process  fails  to  disclose  a  single  idea  or  suggestion 
on  the  subject  in  hand.  The  speakers  usually  spend 
several  minutes  eulogizing  the  commission  and 
descanting  upon  their  own  unfitness  to  offer  sugges- 
tions; they  then  start  with  the  creation  of  the  world 
and  follow  the  course  of  history  through  all  its 
devious  windings  down  to  the  present;  at  some  stage 
they  usually  refer  to  the  particular  law  under  discus- 
sion as  "transcendental,"  and  then,  without  ever 
coming  to  the  point,  dramatically  finish  with  the 
exclamation,  he  dicho  —  I  have  spoken.  On  a  few 
occasions  the  speakers  have  gotten  so  involved  they 
have  asked  permission  of  the  Commission  to  stop 
talking.  Of  course,  valuable  suggestions  are  often 
received,  and  the  above  characterization  does  not 
apply  to  all.  When  it  is  remembered  that  everything 
said,    whether    by    Commissioners    or    by    persons 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

addressing  them,  must  be  Interpreted  from  English 
into  Spanish,  and  vice  versa,  and  that  the  cHmate 
is  tropical  and  decidedly  soporific,  the  patience  of 
the  Commission  In  sitting  hour  after  hour  listening  to 
these  verbal  pyrotechnics  is  something  to  marvel  at. 
What  with  almost  continuous  public  sessions,  and 
with  executive  sessions  whenever  they  can  be 
snatched,  there  Is  precious  little  time  for  the  "  sim- 
mering process"  referred  to  above.  From  every 
side  is  heard  a  wail  for  more  stenographers.  None 
are  to  be  had  here,  while  the  machinery  of  the  United 
States  Civil  Service,  which  has  been  invoked,  grinds 
very,  very  slowly. 

General  conditions  throughout  the  islands  con- 
tinue to  Improve  rapidly.  The  spread  of  the  new 
Federal  Party  has  been  phenomenal.  It  has  swept 
over  the  islands  like  wildfire  and  now  numbers  its 
adherents  by  tens  of  thousands.  It  has  received  the 
cooperation  and  best  wishes  of  the  Commission  in 
its  propaganda,  something  which  cannot  be  said  un- 
reservedly of  our  army  friends.  It  has  seemed  that 
certain  of  the  latter  fear  that  some  of  the  glory  of 
"suppressing  the  insurrection"  may  rest  with  this 
party  rather  than  with  them. 

Another  vital  factor  in  bringing  about  a  better 
understanding  has  been  the  laws  enacted  by  the  Com- 
mission, Promises  made  to  the  people,  and  con- 
cerning which  they  were  naturally  skeptical,  are  now 
being  put  into  concrete  form,  and,  wonder  of  won- 
ders, they  find  themselves  accorded  greater  privi- 
leges than  they  had  asked,  or  than  they  could  have 

[136] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

hoped  to  enjoy  under  any  government  of  their  own.  j 
They  are  beginning  to  realize  vaguely  that  the  Com- 
mission is  legislating  for  them;  that  it  is  establishing 
schools  and  teaching  their  children  one  language;  | 
that  it  is  building  roads  and  harbors,  and  attempt- 
ing in  every  way  to  bring  to  them  those  things  which 
have  made  us  great  and  powerful;  that  we  are  not 
here  to  oppress  them,  but  to  give  them  every  liberty 
and  privilege  which  they  can  grasp  and  hold,  and 
that  there  is  promised  them  finally,  when  they  shall 
have  grown  to  man's  stature,  either  a  place  as  citi- 
zens under  our  flag  or  an  opportunity  to  govern 
themselves.  This  is  the  gospel  that  is  being 
preached  the  people  by  the  Commission  and  by  the 
leaders  of  the  Federal  Party,  and  it  is  the  gospel 
that  is  destined  to  work  the  regeneration  of  this 
people  so  far  as  race,  climate,  and  previous  environ- 
ment will  permit. 

This  missionary  work,  combined  with  the  in- 
creased activity  of  the  army  and  the  deportation  of 
certain  irreconcilables  to  Guam,  has  created  a  con- 
dition justifying  the  early  extension  of  civil  govern- 
ment to  the  towns  and  provinces.  The  Commission 
hopes  to  enter  upon  this  work  early  next  month,  the 
plan  being  to  visit  all  the  provinces  and  personally 
explain  to  the  people  the  scheme  of  government  pro- 
vided. While  pride,  or  a  mistaken  zeal,  still  causes 
a  number  of  "Generals,"  "Colonels,"  and  other 
paper  officials  to  refuse  all  overtures  of  peace,  it  is 
believed  an  act  recently  passed  carried  an  argument 
for  surrender  which  will  appeal  to  most  of  them. 

[137] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

This  act  provides  that  all  persons  who  on  the  first 
of  April,  1901,  shall  be  in  arms  against  the  authority 
and  sovereignty  of  the  United  States  in  the  islands, 
and  all  persons  aiding  or  abetting  them  after  that 
date,  will  be  disqualified  to  hold  any  oflice  of  honor, 
trust  or  profit  in  the  Philippine  Islands.     To  this 
people  official  position  of  some  kind  is  the  sine  qua 
non  of  existence.     To  hold  office  in  the  old  days 
meant  not  only  social  prestige  and  comparative  ease, 
but  usually  an  opportunity  to  exploit  their  less  for- 
tunate  brethren.      It  meant   influence,   power,    and 
that  adulation  and  homage  which  is  the  breath  of 
life  to  a  society  given  largely  to  the  worship  of  exter- 
nals.    To  be  indefinitely  deprived  of  an  opportunity 
to  hold  office,  therefore,  will  be  a  punishment  whose 
dire  consequences  will  likely  outweigh  the  transitory 
glory  now  attending  high  rank  in  a  scattered  army 
or  a  non-existent  republic. 

In  the  greater  interest  of  matters  political,  I  have 
neglected  all  reference  to  that  perennial  subject  — 
the  climate.  As  it  is  a  feature  of  this  life  which 
looms  large  to  people  contemplating  living  in  the 
islands,  and  is  a  source  of  almost  constant  worry  to 
them  after  they  get  here,  the  topic  should  not  be 
lightly  sidetracked.  It  is  customary,  of  course,  to 
regard  all  tropical  countries  as  hot  and  pestilential, 
and  returning  soldiers  and  others  have  not  spared 
pains  to  paint  the  Philippines  as  the  "  jumping-off 
place" — whatever  that  may  be.  In  this  matter,  as 
in  most  others,  much  depends  upon  the  point  of  view 
and  a  great  deal  upon  one's  digestion.     In  truth,  the 

[138] 


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THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

climate  of  Manila  is  far  from  disagreeable,  and  not 
a  single  member  of  the  Commission  or  staff  has 
missed  a  day's  work  through  illness.  The  thermom- 
eter seldom  rises  above  ninety,  while  the  nights  are 
almost  invariably  cool  enough  for  restful  sleep.  We 
have  none  of  that  sweltering,  moist  heat  peculiar  to 
summer  months  in  the  States,  nor  does  any  particu- 
lar day  stand  out  as  uncomfortable.  The  evil  lies 
not  in  any  extreme  heat,  but  in  the  uniform  absence 
of  any  crispness  in  the  air;  a  lack  of  tone  and  brace 
which,  it  is  said,  eventually  saps  the  vitality,  devel- 
ops nerves,  sours  the  temper,  and  leaves  one  non- 
resistent  when  disease  does  come.  Thus  far  there 
has  been  no  apparent  diminution  of  steam  power 
on  the  part  of  the  Commission,  though  a  collapse 
is  predicted  when  the  reserve  energy  brought  from 
home  is  exhausted. 


February  6,  igoi. 
The  Municipal  Code  and  Provincial  Government 
Act  have,  after  exhaustive  discussion,  been  finally 
enacted  into  law.  The  task  has  proven  somewhat 
strenuous,  involving,  as  it  does,  the  granting  of  a 
large  measure  of  popular  control  to  a  people  who, 
while  endowed  with  a  sublime  self-confidence,  have 
had  no  experience  in  the  responsibilities  of  self-gov- 
ernment. Just  how  difficult  it  has  been  to  devise  a 
scheme  to  fit  such  conditions  can  hardly  be  appre- 
ciated by  persons  whose  ancestors  have  been  trained 
since  the  days  of  Alfred  to  express  their  will  through 
town  meetings  and  elective  assemblies. 

[139] 


THE    ODYSSEY   OF 

The  Municipal  Code  makes  the  government  of 
the  towns  practically  autonomous.  While  it  was  the 
aim  to  keep  the  law  simple,  it  was  found  necessary 
to  specify  in  considerable  detail  the  powers  and 
limitations  of  the  different  municipal  officers.  Under 
Spanish  administration  a  public  official  may  have 
been  responsible  to  those  above,  but  seldom  or  never 
to  those  beneath  him.  Saturated  as  the  people  are, 
therefore,  with  the  idea  that  any  demand  made  by  a 
person  in  authority  must  be  obeyed,  the  present  law 
lays  stress  upon  the  fact  that  the  government  now 
sought  to  be  implanted  is  one  of  limited  and  pre- 
scribed powers,  and  that  public  officials  have  no 
rights  beyond  those  expressly  conferred  upon  them. 
When  the  people  thoroughly  appreciate  this  fact 
they  will  have  learned  their  first  great  lesson  in  true 
self-government. 

The  act  vests  municipal  authority  in  a  President, 
Vice-President,  and  Council,  all  elected  by  the 
people.  The  number  of  councillors  varies  according 
to  population,  each  councillor  being  charged  with 
the  welfare  of  a  particular  barrio,  or  ward.  The 
treasurer  and  secretary  are  appointed  by  the  town 
president  with  the  consent  of  the  council.  Only  the 
president,  secretary,  and  treasurer  draw  salary.  The 
right  of  suffrage  is  limited  to  males  twenty-three 
years  of  age  who  have  —  (a)  held  some  municipal 
office  in  Spanish  times;  (b)  who  own  real  property 
of  the  value  of  five  hundred  pesos  or  pay  an  annual 
tax  of  thirty  pesos;  or  (c)  those  who  speak,  read, 
and  write  English  or  Spanish.     The  act  is  explicit 

[  140  1 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

In  prescribing  the  manner  of  holding  elections,  and 
incorporates  all  necessary  forms.  The  sources  of 
public  revenue  and  the  duties  of  the  various  officials 
are  minutely  defined.  Provision  is  made  for  a  real 
estate  tax,  something  new  to  these  Islands.  This 
feature  met  with  considerable  opposition  when  the 
law  was  discussed,  the  persons  addressing  the  Com- 
mission being  of  the  class  most  affected  by  such  a 
provision.  They  found  it  difficult,  however,  to 
answer  the  argument  that  everyone  should  be  taxed 
according  to  his  means.  The  purpose  of  this  tax  is 
not  only  to  work  justice  in  the  matter  of  contribu- 
tions, but  to  compel  landed  proprietors  to  either 
cultivate  their  holdings  or  subdivide  and  sell  them. 
In  view  of  the  ravages  of  war  and  other  recent  disas- 
ters, the  land  tax  is  small,  the  maximum  allowed  in 
the  towns  being  one-half  of  one  per  cent.  Of  this 
at  least  one-fourth  of  one  per  cent  must  be  devoted 
exclusively  to  the  support  of  free  primary  schools 
and  the  erection  of  school  buildings.  Ample  pro- 
vision Is  made  for  the  assessment  and  collection  of 
the  tax,  for  delinquent  sales,  etc.,  leaving  as  little 
margin  as  possible  for  injustice  and  inequality. 

The  provincial  government  act  is  largely  supple- 
mentary to  the  Municipal  Code,  the  provincial 
officers  being  charged  with  a  wide  degree  of  super- 
vision over  the  towns.  The  officers  consist  of  a 
governor,  treasurer,  supervisor,  secretary,  and  fiscal 
—  the  latter  corresponding  to  our  prosecuting  attor- 
ney. The  supervisor  must  be  a  civil  engineer  and 
has  special  charge  of  roads,  bridges,  and  buildings. 

[  141  ] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

The  governor,  treasurer,  and  supervisor  constitute 
a  provincial  board,  being  the  governing  body  of  the 
province.  The  treasurer  collects,  in  addition  to  the 
provincial  taxes,  all  funds  pertaining  to  the  munici- 
palities except  fines,  market  fees,  and  ferry  tolls. 
The  money  so  collected  by  him  is  turned  over  to  the 
municipal  treasurers,  who  furnish  regular  statements 
of  their  expenditures,  thus  enabling  an  absolute 
check  to  be  kept  of  their  accounts.  The  provincial 
tax  on  real  estate  is  limited  to  three-eighths  of  one 
per  cent,  of  which  at  least  one-eighth  of  one  per  cent 
must  be  destined  to  the  construction  and  repair  of 
roads  and  bridges.  The  assessment  of  lands,  both 
in  the  provinces  and  towns,  is  under  the  supervision 
of  the  provincial  treasurer,  special  deputies  acting 
with  the  municipal  president  and  secretary  in  deter- 
mining values.  All  revenues  collected,  whether  in 
the  towns  or  provinces,  are  applied  locally,  none  of 
the  moneys  being  remitted  to  the  central  treasury. 
This  differs  radically  from  the  Spanish  method, 
where  all  contributions  centered  in  the  treasury  at 
Manila,  little  of  the  money  finding  its  way  back  to 
benefit  the  contributors.  The  provincial  governor 
is  required  to  visit  all  the  towns  in  his  province  at 
least  twice  a  year,  and  to  receive  and  hear  com- 
plaints from  the  people  concerning  the  conduct  of 
their  officers.  The  position  of  governor  is  elective, 
while  those  of  the  other  officers  are  appointive.  All 
except  the  fiscal  are  brought  under  the  classified  civil 
service  after  March,  1902.  The  governor  is  chosen 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  being  elected  by  a  majority 

[  142] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

vote  of  all  the  municipal  councillors.  This  naturally 
means  that  the  provincial  governors  will  be  Fili- 
pinos. The  plan  is  to  extend  the  general  provincial 
law  to  the  provinces  by  special  act,  which  will  pre- 
scribe the  salaries  to  be  paid  and  certain  such  other 
terms  as  local  conditions  require.  The  first  election 
for  governors  wi.ll  be  held  in  February,  1902.  Until 
then  they  will  be  appointed  by  the  Commission. 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  these  acts  go 
far  toward  delegating  control  in  local  affairs  to  the 
people  themselves,  and  should  convince  the  most 
skeptical  that  we  are  not  here  to  despoil  or  oppress 
them. 

Another  act  worked  in  during  odd  intervals  is  one 
regulating  the  hours  of  labor,  leaves  of  absence,  etc., 
of  appointees  under  the  Philippine  Civil  Service.  By 
this  act  not  less  than  six  hours  of  labor  each  day 
is  required  of  all  employes,  while  more  can  be  ex- 
acted without  extra  compensation;  annual  leave 
ranging  from  fifteen  to  thirty-five  days  is  provided, 
based  upon  salary.  This  leave  may  be  accumulated 
for  three  years  for  a  visit  to  the  States,  in  which 
event  the  time  required  in  going  to  and  from  San 
Francisco  is  added  at  half  salary.  Sick  leave  not 
exceeding  sixty  days  each  year  may  be  granted  by 
heads  of  departments.  Persons  residing  in  the 
States  appointed  to  the  service  are  allowed  their 
traveling  expenses,  San  Francisco  to  Manila,  with 
half  salary  en  route.  A  person  employed  in  the 
service  for  three  years  will,  upon  retirement,  be 
furnished  transportation,  Manila  to  San  Francisco, 

[143] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

with  half  salary  for  thirty  days  in  addition  to  ac- 
crued leave.  While  these  provisions  are  apparently 
liberal,  it  is  felt  they  are  none  too  much  so  to  secure 
and  keep  good  men  in  the  service. 


[  144] 


A   Tropical   River 


A  River  Scene,  Pagsanjan,  I.agiina 


IX 

PROVINCIAL  ORGANIZATION 

Manila,  February  ig,  igoi. 
^T^  HE  Commission  has  made  a  beginning  in  its 
-^  work,  of  provincial  organization.  We  returned 
yesterday  from  a  pilgrimage  of  seven  days  to  the 
north  of  Manila,  during  which  civil  government  was 
extended  to  the  provinces  of  Pampanga,  Pangasinan, 
and  Tarlac.  It  was  a  week  of  vivid  incident,  and  If 
our  experiences  during  these  days  are  a  measure  of 
what  awaits  us  in  the  thirty  and  odd  provinces  yet 
to  be  organized,  then  fate  has  reserved  for  us  a 
series  of  sensations  more  varied  and  unique  than 
often  fall  to  the  lot  of  men. 

We  left  Manila  on  the  morning  of  the  twelfth, 
the  party  occupying  special  coaches  on  the  regular 
Manila-Dagupan  train.  Our  cast  of  characters  was 
as  follows:  Taft,  Worcester,  Wright,  and  Moses, 
Commissioners;  Fergusson,  General  Secretary; 
Branagan,  Disbursing  Officer;  Williams,  Recorder; 
LeRoy,  Heiskell,  Carpenter,  and  Swindell,  Secre- 
taries; Arellano,  Chief  Justice;  Tavera,  Flores,  and 
Herrera  of  the  Federal  Party;  Emery  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Press;  McDonnell  of  the  New  York  Sun,  and 
Juan  de  Juan,  Loyzaga,  and  Gonzalez  of  the  Span- 

[145] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ish-Filipino  Press.  General  Grant,  in  whose  district 
Pampanga  is  situated,  was  stage  manager  for  the 
initial  performance.  Our  railroad  destination  was 
San  Fernando,  fifty  miles  distant.  Notice  of  the 
coming  of  the  Commission  had  been  given  the 
municipal  officers  of  the  different  pueblos,  with 
request  that  they  meet  us  in  convention  at  the 
capitals  of  their  respective  provinces. 

Our  progress  along  the  railroad  was  a  continuous 
ovation.  The  first  stop  was  at  Bocaue,  where  a 
throng  of  people  and  two  bands  —  both  playing  at 
once  —  heralded  our  arrival.  A  number  of  leading 
citizens,  dressed  in  customary  official  black,  said 
they  were  glad  to  see  us  —  to  which  Judge  Taft 
responded  nosotros  tambien.  General  Flores  then 
made  a  short  talk  in  Tagalog,  the  purport  of  which 
was  that  If  the  people  behaved  themselves  things 
would  come  their  way.  The  crowd  In  the  meantime 
gazed  at  us  in  petrified  silence,  broken  only  when 
the  train  started  by  "Vivas"  for  "La  Comis'wn 
Civil,"  for  "America,"  and  various  other  entities. 
At  Gulgulnto  we  had  more  music  and  more  speeches, 
Dr.  Tavera  getting  into  the  game  here  with  some 
good  advice  to  the  populace.  It  is  to  be  said,  how- 
ever, that  this  oratorical  part  of  the  program  was 
held  under  difficulties,  as  these  diminutive  cars  do 
not  lend  themselves  to  platform  speaking.  When  a 
goodly  sized  man  doubles  himself  out  of  one  of 
these  small  windows  the  sight  Is  more  amusing  than 
inspiring  to  all  but  the  devout. 

The  above  proceeding  was  repeated  with  varia- 

[146] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

tions  as  to  speakers  at  Malolos  and  Calumpit.  There 
was  the  same  sea  of  brown,  upturned  faces,  the  same 
eager,  absorbed  expressions,  and  the  same  variety 
of  costume  and  "  Fivas."  En  route  there  spread 
ever  about  us  all  the  picturesque  panorama  of  a 
tropical  land,  of  which  one  never  grows  tired.  We 
saw  old  Arayat  looming  purple  th'rough  the  haze; 
saw  the  rice  paddies  and  the  carabaos;  saw  the  dark 
green  fringe  of  bamboo  along  the  fields,  and  the 
little  nipas  peering  from  the  deep-leafed  shade  of 
the  banana  groves.  The  spirits  of  the  party  bubbled 
over  at  the  novelty  and  freshness  of  it  all. 

At  San  Fernando,  where  we  left  the  train,  the 
military  added  their  pageantry  to  that  of  the  natives, 
the  place  being  decked  in  holiday  attire.  Carriages 
were  in  waiting,  and  we  were  conducted  in  state 
through  a  succession  of  streets  spanned  by  triumphal 
arches  of  palm  and  bamboo.  The  schools  had  been 
dismissed  and  the  children,  each  with  a  tiny  Amer- 
ican flag  stuck  stiffly  in  front,  were  lined  up  to  greet 
us.  A  short  stop  was  made  at  Colonel  Page's  head- 
quarters, where  something  was  taken  to  clear  the 
dust  from  our  throats.  We  then  started  for  Baco- 
lor,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  where  the  convention 
was  to  be  held.  Reaching  the  environs  of  the  town, 
we  found  all  the  houses,  not  excepting  the  little 
nipas,  gaily  decorated  for  the  occasion.  Some  of 
these  efforts  were  rather  pathetic,  but  the  spirit  was 
all  right.  There  were  queer-painted  little  flags  of 
paper  and  cloth,  the  number  of  stars  and  stripes 
being  often  hopelessly  mixed.    Again  you  would  see 

[147] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

a  white  cloth  hung  in  a  window,  a  patch  of  red 
perhaps  appearing  in  the  center,  the  whole  set  off  by 
paper  lanterns  of  various  fantastic  designs.  Here, 
as  in  San  Fernando,  numerous  arches  of  elaborate 
construction  spanned  the  various  streets,  a  testimony 
to  the  skill  of  native  craftsmen. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  the  house  of  Judge  Maca- 
pinlac,  where  greetings  were  duly  exchanged.  Later 
we  repaired  to  the  home  of  Sefior  Santos,  where 
tiffin  was  served,  which,  however,  was  more  than  a 
tiffin  —  it  was  a  dissipation.  There  were  six  meat 
courses,  and  others  in  proportion,  with  all  sorts  of 
wines,  dukes,  fruits,  and  other  puzzles  to  diges- 
tion. It  seems  meat  is  something  of  a  luxury,  and 
the  more  of  it  served  during  a  meal,  the  better  the 
latter  is  supposed  to  be. 

After  luncheon  the  Commissioners  disappeared 
for  a  much-needed  siesta,  they  being  guests  of  Santos. 
We  attaches  sat  around,  drowsy  with  the  heat  and 
much  eating,  waiting  to  be  assigned  quarters.  Pres- 
ently a  messenger  reported  he  had  found  the  desired 
haven,  whereupon  Branagan,  Carpenter,  LeRoy, 
Swindell,  and  I  packed  our  grips  into  a  carromata 
and  descended  upon  one  Felix  Rodriguez,  our  desig- 
nated victim.  He  looked  somewhat  dazed  at  the 
onslaught,  but  came  to  the  center  smiling.  We  were 
invited  to  sit  down,  and  the  usual  cigars  and  cigar- 
ettes made  the  round.  Judge  Arellano  was  present, 
while  we  could  see  General  Mores  in  the  offing.  Con- 
versation developed  that  there  were  but  three  beds 
in  the  house,  two  of  which  were  already  bespoken 

[148] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

by  Arellano  and  Flores,  not  to  mention  the  needs 
of  our  host  and  family.  He  courteously  offered  us 
the  third  bed,  but  as  we  numbered  five,  the  idea  did 
not  appeal,  and  we  sorrowfully  took  up  our  trek. 
After  various  experiences,  too  sad  to  chronicle,  we 
finally  learned  that  we  were  to  lodge  at  Guagua, 
headquarters  of  Major  Wholly,  three  miles  distant. 
In  the  meantime  we  succeeded  in  washing  up  a  bit 
and  finding  a  nook  in  the  Santos  house  to  dress  for 
dinner. 

Shortly  before  seven  the  entire  party  repaired  to 
the  provincial  building,  where  a  banquet  was  spread. 
The  patio  was  agleam  with  lanterns,  while  a  pro- 
fusion of  flags,  palms,  and  greenstuff  made  the  hall 
a  scene  of  splendor.  Sixty-two  people  sat  down  to 
table.  It  was  a  great  feast  under  any  circumstances, 
but  in  a  small  provincial  town  whose  buildings  were 
in  ruin  and  whose  people  were  impoverished  by  war, 
it  was  remarkable.  In  praising  the  dinner.  Judge 
Taft  well  said  that  no  town  of  like  size  in  the  States 
could  equal  it.  There  was  such  an  overflowing 
abundance  it  sort  of  appalled  one.  The  people  and 
the  occasion,  however,  were  greater  than  the  set- 
ting, worthy  as  it  was.  It  marked  the  beginning  of 
popular  government  in  the  Philippines  under  Amer- 
ican sovereignty,  and  no  man  could  tell  the  end. 
About  the  table  were  grouped  the  representatives 
of  peace  and  war  and  the  best  the  Filipinos  could 
produce  from  among  their  own  sons.  Following 
the  dinner,  speeches  were  made  by  Judge  Taft,  by 
Seiior  Joven  of  Bacolor,  by  General  Grant,  Commis- 

[149] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

sloner  Worcester,  Judge  Arellano,  Dr.  Tavera, 
General  Flores,  and  Colonel  Page.  The  speeches 
were  splendid,  and  all  of  them  breathed  a  spirit  of 
kindliness,  of  confidence,  and  of  good  will  which 
could  not  but  impress  favorably  all  who  heard  them. 

At  9  :30  the  next  morning  the  Commission  met  in 
public  session  with  the  presidents,  councillors,  and 
leading  citizens  of  the  twenty-five  pueblos  of  the 
province.  The  roll  of  the  towns  was  called  and  the 
delegates  arose  in  turn  and  responded.  They  were 
serious  and  attentive  and  made  a  very  favorable 
Impression.  Judge  Taft  then  spoke  to  them,  setting 
out  in  simple  language  the  purposes  of  the  Commis- 
sion in  their  behalf,  and  explaining  in  detail  the  pro- 
visions and  scope  of  the  new  provincial  law.  The 
public  was  then  invited  to  make  suggestions,  and 
quite  a  number  responded.  While  the  suggestions 
were  generally  directed  to  some  point  already 
threshed  out  by  the  Commission  in  executive  session, 
the  proposed  amendments  were  favorably  consid- 
ered whenever  possible.  At  twelve  the  meeting  ad- 
journed for  another  so-called  tifl^n,  but  which  proved, 
like  that  of  the  previous  day,  to  be  a  sumptuous  din- 
ner. Our  host  at  tifiin  —  Senor  Rodriguez  —  did 
not  sit  at  table  with  us,  but  assisted  in  serving,  which 
seems  to  be  a  custom  of  the  country. 

In  the  afternoon  session  the  special  act  applying 
the  provincial  law  to  Pampanga  was  passed  and  the 
provincial  officers  named.  Sefior  Joven,  president 
of  Bacolor,  was  appointed  governor,  and  thus  was 
accomplished  the  first  real  step  toward  granting  the 

[150] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Filipino  people  a  participation  in  their  own  govern- 
ment. The  occasion  was  an  impressive  one.  As 
the  early  evening  shadows  lengthened  through  the 
hall  and  threw  into  deeper  shade  that  sea  of  dark, 
upturned  faces,  you  felt  the  hour  charged  by  fate 
with  tremendous  possibilities.  You  wondered 
whether  the  people  would  rise  to  their  opportunity, 
and  in  the  new  way  opened  for  them  realize  the 
high  destiny  painted  by  the  speakers  of  the  after- 
noon, or  would  their  impatience,  their  desire  to 
grasp  too  soon  the  reins  of  power,  blind  them  to 
the  gifts  which  were  freely  offered,  and  change  their 
words  of  praise  to  words  of  hate? 

The  next  province  on  the  list  was  Pangasinan,  the 
convention  to  be  held  at  Dagupan,  the  terminus  of 
the  railroad.  We  left  San  Fernando  early  next 
morning  and  reached  Dagupan  in  the  afternoon. 
The  train  ride  was  an  interesting  one,  the  ground 
covered  being  new  to  most  of  us.  The  press  repre- 
sentatives, together  with  most  of  the  attaches,  occu- 
pied one  car,  and  a  bohemian  crowd  it  was.  We  had 
a  basket  lunch,  supplemented  by  bananas  and  cocoa- 
nuts  secured  en  route.  The  day  was  warm,  and 
through  the  windows  floated  the  necessary  dust  and 
cinders  to  give  our  meal  its  regulation  picnic  flavor. 
The  scenes  of  the  early  part  of  our  journey  were 
repeated  at  the  different  stations,  all  the  people 
being  anxious  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  '^ La  Comis'wn 
Civil."  There  were  always  two  or  three  bands  in 
attendance,  no  village  being  too  small,  apparently, 
to  support  one.     These  people  seem  to  be  natural 

[151] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

musicians.  They  are  also  natural  orators  —  or  at 
least  have  the  gift  of  words.  As  we  neared  Dagu- 
pan  we  passed  through  large  nipa  swamps  and  im- 
mense groves  of  cocoanut  palms  —  the  latter  filling 
one's  ideal  of  the  beautiful  in  tropical  vegetation. 

On  reaching  Dagupan  we  found  things  somewhat 
mixed,  no  word  having  been  received  as  to  the  size 
of  our  party.  We  were  finally  distributed,  the  whole 
thing  reminding  me  of  a  church  convention  in  the 
States  where  the  visiting  preachers  are  parceled  out 
among  the  members  of  the  congregation.  It  fell  to 
my  lot,  in  company  with  Commissioner  Moses,  to 
be  entertained  by  Captain  Winn,  a  former  military 
instructor  in  the  University  of  California.  It  was 
good  to  get  back  to  simple  army  fare  after  our 
recent  orgy. 

Our  first  afternoon  and  evening  were  spent 
quietly,  most  of  us  being  thankful  for  It.  The  con- 
vention met  next  morning  in  the  villlage  theater,  the 
thirty-one  towns  of  the  province  being  represented 
by  three  hundred  and  fifty  delegates;  these,  with  the 
general  public,  soon  made  the  "  standing-room " 
sign  necessary.  As  the  roll  was  called  each  delega- 
tion came  forward  and  passed  in  review  before  the 
stage.  The  morning  was  given  over  to  this  and  to 
an  explanation  of  the  provincial  law  by  Judge  Taft, 
the  afternoon  being  devoted  to  a  public  discussion 
of  the  special  act.  The  people  were  somewhat  slow 
to  respond,  but  by  judicious  questioning  they  finally 
got  started,  and  then  the  trouble  was  to  stop  them. 

Our  audience  comprised  most  of  the  educated  and 

[152] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

influential  Filipinos  of  the  province.  As  the  masses 
receive  their  ideas  through  these  few,  this  face-to- 
face  presentation  of  facts  to  their  leaders  virtually 
meant  talking  to  all  the  people.  That  the  Commis- 
sion had  sufficient  interest  in  their  welfare  to  make 
a  special  visit  to  the  province  established  a  bond  of 
union  and  sympathy  such  as  nothing  else  could  have 
done. 

That  evening  we  were  banqueted  at  the  house  of 
one  Villareal,  the  dinner  being  giv^en  by  the  Federal 
Party  of  Dagupan.  The  spread  was  like  unto  others 
described,  being  superabundant.  There  were  the 
usual  speeches,  without  which  a  dinner  here  would 
be  considered  altogether  tame  and  commonplace. 
Judge  Taft,  in  referring  to  the  Federal  Party,  char- 
acterized all  those  who,  for  personal  reasons  or 
otherwise,  sought  to  hinder  Its  work  as  enemies  to 
the  best  interests  of  their  country.  Some  of  this 
was  meant  for  the  local  military,  who,  while  quite 
courteous,  do  not  seem  to  enjoy  the  object  of  our 
visit  among  them.  The  establishment  of  civil  gov- 
ernment ends  their  absolute  sway,  and  they  naturally 
dislike  to  give  up  the  power  which  is  theirs.  It  comes 
hard  to  be  relegated  from  monarchs  to  mere  peace 
ofl^cers.  One  captain,  in  describing  his  administra- 
tion of  an  adjoining  town,  said  that  he  was  king, 
King  with  a  big  "  K,"  and  that  when  the  natives  did 
not  respond  promptly  to  his  demands  he  stuck  them 
in  the  guardhouse.  This  no  doubt  proved  effect- 
ive, but  it  hardly  works  for  benevolent  assimilation. 
Commissioner  Wright  made  quite  a  long  speech  and 

[153] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

a  good  one.  He  Is  naturally  witty  and  can  drive 
home  plain  truths  with  a  smiling  face.  He  told  the 
people  exactly  how  we  happened  to  come  to  the 
Islands,  and  explained  that  our  remaining  here  after- 
wards was  something  we  could  not  In  justice  have 
avoided,  even  had  we  wished.  He  said  It  was  not 
necessary  for  us  to  oppress  them,  and  that  we  had 
no  Idea  whatever  of  doing  so;  that  our  purpose  was 
to  help  them,  and  we  could  do  this  only  as  they 
cooperated  with  us.  Professor  Moses  followed  and 
pointed  out  wherein  the  methods  we  were  pursuing 
differed  from  those  followed  by  Spain,  which  coun- 
try, amid  all  the  blessings  which  time  had  showered 
upon  her,  had  never  enjoyed  good  government. 

Next  morning  the  special  act  was  passed,  and 
Perfecto  SIson  of  LIngayen  named  provincial  gov- 
ernor. Judge  Taft  then  called  for  speeches  from 
Chief  Justice  Arellano,  Dr.  Tavera,  and  General 
Flores,  who  roused  the  crowd  to  a  dramatic  finish. 
I  think  Arellano's  talk  one  of  the  best  I  have  ever 
heard.  He  is  without  doubt  the  greatest  Filipino 
In  the  Islands  today,  though  one  of  the  most  modest. 
He  has  always  stood  for  peace,  and  yet  Is  univer- 
sally liked  by  these  people.  When  he  rose  to  speak 
the  audience  rose  Involuntarily.  He  talked  to  them 
sincerely  and  earnestly  as  a  father  would  talk  to  his 
children.  He  told  them  he  was  not  given  to  appear- 
ing in  public;  that  for  twelve  years  he  had  lived  in 
practical  retirement,  and  that  if  he  now  came  forth 
It  was  because  he  felt  the  crisis  to  be  a  vital  one  to 
his  people.     He  said  he  was  growing  old  and  might 

[154] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

not  live  to  see  the  great  future  which  spread  before 
his  country,  but  he  spoke  for  them  and  for  their 
sons  who  would  live  to  see  it.  A  deep  note  of  con- 
viction rang  through  every  word,  and  the  effect  upon 
his  emotional  audience  was  striking.  It  was  a  great 
speech  and  one  which  it  is  good  to  have  heard. 

The  Commission  decided  to  remain  in  Dagupan 
until  Monday,  giving  us  a  day  and  a  half  for  diver- 
sion. In  the  afternoon  I  visited  the  public  schools, 
in  charge  of  Max  McCullough,  a  California  boy 
whom  I  knew.  That  day  he  was  teaching  in  the 
girls'  school,  a  nipa  structure  with  bamboo  floors 
and  bamboo  seats,  entirely  too  small  to  seat  the  chil- 
dren; they  were  sitting  around  on  the  floor  and  fill- 
ing every  available  nook.  He  was  drilling  them  in 
relays,  using  a  pictured  English  chart.  He  remarked 
that  after  going  over  that  chart  fifty  times  a  day,  and 
following  it  up  for  months,  the  subject-matter 
became  strangely  familiar. 

On  Sunday  the  entire  party  drove  to  Lingayen, 
the  provincial  capital,  eight  miles  distant.  The  road 
seemed  a  continuous  street,  being  lined  throughout 
by  little  nipas,  the  windows  of  which  framed  many 
striking  pictures.  We  made  a  halt  at  Binmaley, 
midway  to  Lingayen,  to  see  their  old  church,  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  islands.  We  were  met  by  the 
priest  and  leading  citizens  and  escorted  up  to  the 
altar  to  organ  music.  The  priest  here  was  more 
successful  than  most,  for  he  succeeded  in  saving  the 
treasures  of  his  church  from  Americans  and  insur- 
rectos   alike.      After  visiting   the   church   we   went 

[155] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

through  the  convento,  or  priest's  residence,  where 
refreshments  were  served. 

On  reaching  Lingayen  a  reception  was  tendered 
in  the  municipal  building,  with  the  usual  accompani- 
ment of  speeches  and  eatables.  We  took  luncheon 
with  Major  Brush,  which  compelled  us  to  forego 
the  spread  prepared  by  the  town  people.  We  under- 
stood when  too  late  that  quite  elaborate  prepara- 
tions had  been  made  to  entertain  us.  After  luncheon 
LeRoy  and  I  climbed  the  tower  of  their  old  church, 
which  commands  a  magnificent  view.  The  shim- 
mering bay  of  Lingayen,  deep  blue  under  that  south- 
ern sky,  lay  to  the  west  of  us,  while  on  every  side 
stretched  reach  on  reach  of  nlpa,  palm,  and  cocoa- 
nut  groves,  through  which  the  thread-like  Agno 
wound  down  to  the  sea.  Below  us  lay  the  town, 
with  its  queer  nlpa  houses  and  wealth  of  life. 

Later  our  party  visited  the  provincial  prison, 
where  we  saw  the  man  and  woman  who  have  been 
personating  the  Christ  and  the  Virgin  Mary.  They 
were  ordinary  looking  creatures,  but  had  exerted 
wonderful  power  over  certain  of  the  superstitious 
natives.  We  also  saw  Seiior  Valles,  Agulnaldo's 
"  Director  of  Communications,"  who  was  captured 
last  week.  He  appeared  to  be  a  shrewd  man.  Re- 
turning to  Dagupan  we  stopped  at  the  Binmaley  cock- 
pit, where  practically  the  entire  town  was  assembled. 

The  next  morning  at  8  130,  to  the  music  of  a  mili- 
tary and  two  native  bands,  we  started  south  for 
Tarlac,  our  next  stop.  Here  we  were  met  by  the 
military  and  most  of  the  populace.     Owing  to  Infor- 

[156] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

mation  received  at  Dagupan,  the  Commission  had 
decided  not  to  organize  Tarlac  at  this  time,  the  plan 
being  simply  to  make  a  short  stop  and  tell  the  people 
we  would  call  again  when  they  had  improved  a  bit 
in  their  behavior.  The  town  lies  about  a  mile  from 
the  railroad,  and  we  made  the  ride  in  a  varied  assort- 
ment of  vehicles  and  in  a  bewildering  cloud  of  dust. 
The  people  had  gathered  from  all  parts  to  meet  us, 
the  town  being  as  elaborately  decorated  as  any  we 
had  visited.  When  the  Commission  learned  that 
delegates  had  gathered  from  most  of  the  towns  and 
were  without  notice  that  their  province  was  not  to 
be  organized,  it  was  decided  to  go  through  with  it 
that  afternoon  rather  than  disappoint  them.  Ac- 
cordingly, between  2 130  and  5 :30  the  provincial 
bill  was  explained,  discussion  had,  amendments 
offered,  the  bill  passed,  and  officials  appointed. 
Owing  to  the  somewhat  uncertain  temper  of  the 
people,  and  to  various  factions  among  them,  an 
American  governor  was  appointed,  who  will  hold 
office  until  an  election  is  held  in  February.  One  inci- 
dent of  the  afternoon  was  rather  pathetic.  On  the 
roll  call  one  of  the  towns  failed  to  respond  and  was 
marked  absent.  Later  we  learned  the  delegates  had 
come  and  were  below  stairs,  but,  being  barefooted, 
were  ashamed  to  come  into  the  presence  of  the 
Commission.  After  the  session  a  band  concert  was 
given  in  the  village  plaza,  and  later  a  banquet 
was  served  by  the  Federal  Party  at  the  house  of 
the  town  padre.  There  were  the  usual  number  of 
courses  and  the  same  array  of  people.    We  had  but 

[157] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

two  speeches,  one  by  Judge  Taft  and  one  by  Chief 
Justice  Arellano.  The  people  were  somewhat  less 
demonstrative  than  elsewhere;  possibly  they  were 
disappointed  over  the  failure  of  the  Commission  to 
appoint  a  native  governor. 

We  left  Tarlac  at  six  the  next  morning,  reaching 
Manila  at  noon.  Most  of  the  party  were  able  to 
answer  "Present"  at  the  finish,  there  being  but  two 
or  three  whose  digestive  machinery  had  failed  to 
respond  to  the  strain  put  upon  it.  It  is  hard  to 
estimate  the  good  the  trip  will  bring  in  its  train.  It 
brought  home  to  the  people  as  nothing  else  could 
just  what  is  proposed  to  be  done  for  them.  They 
are  tired  of  military  rule,  and  relief  from  it  Is  the 
reward  offered  when  they  prove  themselves  worthy. 


Manila,  March  j,  igoi. 

Two  more  provinces  have  been  organized  —  Bula- 
can  and  Bataan.  The  trip  to  Bulacan  differed  only 
in  detail  from  our  previous  one.  This  time  the 
ladies  accompanied  us,  i.  e.,  Mrs.  Taft,  Mrs. 
Worcester,  Miss  Herron,  Mrs.  Fergusson,  Mrs. 
LeRoy,  Miss  Briggs,  and  the  Misses  Ide.  Bulacan 
is  within  an  hour's  ride  of  Manila  by  train,  the  town 
being  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  railroad.  There 
was  the  same  outpouring  of  natives  to  witness  our 
advent  and  the  same  cordial  reception.  While  not 
as  gorgeously  decorated  as  some  of  the  other  towns, 
they  had  two  or  three  indefatigable  bands  whose 
lung  power  was  a  wonder. 

[158] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

The  convention  was  set  for  2  p.  m.,  being  held 
in  a  small  chapel,  the  large  town  church  being  used 
as  barracks  by  our  soldiers.  Most  of  the  important 
buildings  in  the  town  were  destroyed  during  the 
insurrections  against  Spain  and  our  authority,  and 
we  saw  little  but  ruins.  The  chapel  where  we  met 
was  small  and  the  ventilation  poor.  It  was  crowded 
to  suffocation  and  we  gasped  and  perspired  in  the 
sweltering,  overcharged  atmosphere.  Following  an 
exposition  of  the  provincial  act  by  Judge  Taft,  con- 
siderable interest  was  roused  over  a  movement  to 
remove  the  capital  from  Bulacan  to  Malolos,  which 
is  on  the  railroad.  The  discussion  waxed  warm  and 
it  was  finally  suggested  by  the  Commission  that  the 
question  be  left  to  a  vote  of  the  towns  —  the  vote  to 
be  taken  next  morning.  One  of  the  speakers  made 
the  somewhat  novel  proposition  that  an  engineer 
survey  the  province  and  find  its  central  spot,  and 
that  the  capital  be  located  there.  Another  speaker 
branched  off  on  the  evils  of  gambling,  which,  he  said, 
was  the  curse  of  Bulacan.  He  asked  that  the  gov- 
ernor be  empowered  to  punish  gambling  as  an  exec- 
utive function.  He  was  told  that  in  countries  where 
civil  liberty  prevails  punishment  can  only  be  had 
through  the  courts,  but  that  the  Commission  would 
try  and  appoint  officials  In  sympathy  with  his  ideals. 

A  banquet  was  given  in  the  evening  by  the  Fed- 
eral Party  in  the  Convento  building.  There  were 
speeches  by  Judge  Taft,  General  Grant,  and  Senores 
Calderon  and  Flores.  After  the  dinner  a  bxile  was 
held  upstairs. 

[159] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

The  meeting  next  morning  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  yet  held.  The  question  of  the  capital 
was  submitted  to  vote,  possibly  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  Islands  where  the  people  were  per- 
mitted to  settle  a  thing  of  that  kind  themselves. 
Malolos  won  by  a  majority  of  three.  Judge  Taft 
told  the  people  it  was  our  purpose  to  let  them  have 
their  way  In  all  things  so  long  as  it  was  consistent 
with  public  order  and  the  rights  of  individuals,  citing 
the  matter  of  the  capital  as  an  example.  It  appealed 
to  them,  and  after  Calderon  had  stirred  them  with 
a  speech  in  Tagalog,  and  Dr.  Tavera  had  flattered 
them,  had  appealed  to  the  memory  of  their  great 
men,  and  had  led  and  forced  them  along  with  him 
on  the  current  of  his  wit  and  eloquence,  the  occasion 
developed  into  a  regular  love  feast.  One  speaker 
went  so  far  as  to  ask  that  the  land  tax  be  applied  at 
once,  and  not  postponed  for  a  year,  as  contem- 
plated. He  said  Bulacan  was  the  first  to  go  to  war 
and  the  last  to  come  in;  that  It  took  a  man  of  Bula- 
can a  long  time  to  get  an  idea  into  his  head,  but,  once 
In,  It  stuck.  They  were  now  for  peace  and  American 
sovereignty.  For  the  time,  at  least,  I  believe  them 
sincere. 

Senor  Serapio  was  appointed  provincial  governor. 
The  people  are  split  into  factions  and  Serapio  was 
persona  tion  grata  to  many  of  them.  He  has  been 
an  active  American  sympathizer  from  the  beginning, 
and  was  Instrumental  in  causing  the  capture  of  many 
Insurrectos.  His  life  has  been  marked  many  times, 
and  though  the  people  now  profess  peace,  they  can- 

[i6o] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION- 

not  overlook  the  past.  We  left  for  the  train  at  2  :30. 
A  heavy  rain  set  in  and  we  were  a  dripping,  bedrag- 
gled lot  when  we  reached  the  station. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  Manila,  and  the  day 
following  we  started  for  Bataan,  which  lies  just 
across  the  bay  from  Manila.  The  trip  was  made 
by  launch,  the  ladies  again  accompanying  us.  Before 
starting  we  had  heard  something  of  the  reception 
awaiting  us,  it  being  reported  that  over  twenty  thou- 
sand flags  had  been  secured  to  decorate  their  water 
craft  and  buildings.  What  we  imagined  —  what  we 
possibly  could  have  imagined  —  was  dwarfed  by  the 
reality,  however.  While  yet  a  considerable  distance 
from  shore,  fifteen  or  twenty  large  bancas  bore  down 
upon  us,  each  manned  by  from  twenty  to  thirty  row- 
ers and  filled  with  people.  The  rowers  were  naked 
to  the  waist,  and  as  their  bronze  bodies  swayed  back- 
ward and  forward  with  each  broad  sweep  of  the  oars, 
it  made  a  picture  of  savage  grandeur  that  thrilled 
one.  Round  and  round  they  went,  rising  in  their 
seats  at  intervals  to  utter  strange  and  unknown  cries. 
All  the  bancas  were  decorated  with  flags  and  bunt- 
ing, a  number  of  them  having  bands  of  music  aboard. 
One  barge,  larger  than  the  rest,  had  a  large  pagoda 
top  and  reminded  one  dimly  of  those  triumphal 
floats  in  which  Egypt's  queen  was  wont  to  make  her 
pilgrimages  on  the  Nile.  This  was  brought  along- 
side the  launch  and  boarded  by  our  party.  There 
were  a  number  of  women  aboard  with  musical  in- 
struments, who  played  and  sang  improvised  songs  of 
welcome.      We   were   taken   in   tow  by   two   other 

[161] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

barges,  which  spread  their  sails  and  sped  on,  fol- 
lowed by  the  entire  fleet.  As  these  scattered  over 
the  water  they  looked,  with  their  square,  colored 
sails,  like  a  flock  of  great  birds. 

As  we  neared  the  landing  for  Balanga,  the  cap- 
ital, another  fleet  appeared,  adding  to  the  excite- 
ment. The  coast  is  quite  low  here  and  the  boats 
grounded  some  distance  out,  our  landing  being  made 
in  army  ambulances.  About  five  hundred  school 
children  had  a  banner  reading,  "Welcome  to  the 
Civil  Commission.  Give  us  schools  and  English 
teachers  and  we  will  do  the  rest."  We  all  agreed 
that  our  reception  on  sea  and  land  had  been  the 
most  spectacular  of  our  lives.  We  took  lunch  at 
military  headquarters,  and  an  informal  reception 
was  held  later  in  the  provincial  building. 

At  3  :30  a  public  session  was  held  of  the  usual 
character.  Here,  however,  as  the  mass  of  those 
present  spoke  only  Tagalog,  the  speeches  were  inter- 
preted into  that  language  by  Sefior  Calderon.  The 
banquet  that  evening  was  one  of  the  largest  we  have 
attended,  there  being  a  greater  representation  of 
women  present  than  usual.  A  few  speeches  were 
made,  after  which  we  adjourned  to  the  town  hall, 
where  a  baile  was  in  progress.  It  was  a  lively  scene, 
everyone  seeming  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  occa- 
sion. Mr.  LeRoy  and  I  had  been  assigned  to  a 
Filipino  family,  where  we  showed  up  shortly  after 
midnight.  One  of  the  native  bands  was  also  quar- 
tered there,  its  members,  together  with  the  family, 
being  stretched  out  on  the  floor.     We  had  to  pass 

[162] 


Native  Boats  Welcoming  Commission,  Bataan 


1 


Native  Prao,   Off  Bacolod,   Negros 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

over  their  bodies  to  reach  our  room.  Perhaps  some 
people,  reading  the  States  papers,  would  have  con- 
sidered it  reckless  for  two  unarmed  Americans  to 
sleep  alone  under  such  circumstances.  We  slept 
well,  however,  despite  the  hard  beds  and  harder 
pillows.  These  native  pillows  seem  stuffed  with 
sawdust  or  something  equally  hard.  Our  breakfast 
was  served  in  the  room  next  morning,  the  band 
playing  meanwhile  in  the  adjoining  room. 

The  closing  session  was  held  this  morning,  and 
we  had  another  splendid  talk  by  Chief  Justice  Arel- 
lano, who  is  a  native  of  the  province.  Another 
tiffin  —  really  a  dinner  —  was  eaten,  with  more 
speeches.  We  were  then  escorted  to  the  bay  shore 
by  most  of  the  populace  and  by  the  military,  and 
then  to  our  launch  and  onward  by  the  fleet  of  bancas. 

Next  week  we  are  scheduled  to  start  on  our  trip 
to  the  southern  islands,  which  will  be  made  in  the 
transport  Sumner  and  will  occupy  about  two  months. 
In  the  meantime  the  Commission  is  in  almost  contin- 
uous session,  trying  to  clear  up  a  mass  of  accumu- 
lated matters.  My  dual  position  of  private  secre- 
tary and  recorder  has  simply  swamped  me  with 
work,  and  it  is  a  scramble  to  keep  from  being 
smothered. 

Word  has  come  of  the  passage  by  Congress  of 
the  so-called  "  Spooner  Bill,"  relating  to  Philippine 
affairs,  and  it  is  a  great  disappointment.  While  it 
authorizes  the  President  to  establish  temporary  civil 
government  in  the  islands,  it  prohibits  absolutely  the 
sale,  lease,  or  other  disposition  of  public  lands  or 

[163] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

timber,  or  the  granting  of  any  mining  rights.  It 
authorizes  the  granting  of  franchises,  but  renders 
the  grant  nugatory  by  providing  that  all  such  fran- 
chises shall  terminate  within  one  year  after  the 
establishment  of  civil  government.  The  law  effec- 
tually ties  the  hands  of  the  Commission  so  far  as 
developing  the  resources  of  the  islands  is  concerned, 
without  which  development  no  general  prosperity 
can  be  expected.  The  whole  thing  illustrates  how 
foolish  our  representatives  can  be  when  dealing  with 
something  which  does  not  affect  their  chances  of 
reelection,  and  concerning  which  they  have  no  knowl- 
edge, nor  the  ambition  to  acquire  it.  No  action 
whatever  was  taken  to  relieve  us  of  our  unfortunate 
currency  muddle.  The  sensible  thing  would  be  for 
Congress  to  follow  the  advice  and  suggestion  of 
those  on  the  ground,  commissioned  to  study  the  situ- 
ation, but  our  Solons  evidently  argue  that  to  do  this 
would  be  to  admit  that  their  intuitive  judgment  is 
not  better  than  the  mature  study  and  reflection  of 
others. 


[164] 


X 

THE  SOUTHERN  TRIP 

U.  S.  Transport  Sumner, 

March  14,  igoi. 
/^  UR  long-planned  "Southern  Trip"  is  now  a 
^^  reality,  and  it  promises  to  dwarf  all  that  has 
preceded.  Although  out  but  a  few  days,  incident 
has  followed  incident  with  a  rush  that  leaves  us 
somewhat  bewildered  as  we  think  of  all  that  yet 
remains  to  be  unraveled.  It  has  come  to  us  that 
we  are  participating  in  an  extraordinary  journey,  the 
events  of  which  will  not  only  be  unique  to  our  little 
party,  but  will  be  written  large  in  the  future  annals 
of  these  islands. 

The  expedition  is  being  made  in  the  U.  S.  trans- 
port Sumner,  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commis- 
sion for  the  occasion.  While  not  as  large  as  the 
Hancock,  it  is  a  fine  ship,  complete  in  every  detail. 
We  have  electric  fans,  an  ice  plant,  Chinese  cabin 
and  table  boys,  and  other  important  accessories  for 
comfort  in  the  tropics.  Naturally,  there  were  many 
who  were  willing  to  forsake  their  happy  homes  to 
join  us.  For  this  reason  the  line  was  drawn  fast 
and  invitations  limited  to  those  associated  in  some 
way  with  the  Commission  and  its  work.     The  roster 

[165] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

of  the  privileged  includes  most  of  the  old  Hancock 
crowd,  with  a  sprinkling  of  newspaper  correspond- 
ents and  members  of  the  Partido  Federal.  The 
assortment  is  sufficiently  variegated  to  insure  that 
no  one  need  suffer  from  ennui. 

We  left  Manila  on  Sunday  last,  the  center  of  a 
vociferous  crowd  and  innumerable  bands.  When 
the  "shouting  and  the  tumult"  died,  and  our  launch 
steamed  slowly  down  the  Pasig,  you  could  almost 
hear  the  sigh  of  relief  that  went  up  from  the  Com- 
mission and  staff.  The  past  few  weeks  have  been 
pretty  strenuous,  and  we  were  tired  enough  to  grasp 
eagerly  at  the  prospect  of  change  and  rest  offered 
by  our  proposed  cruise.  It  is  in  truth  a  trip  whose 
contemplation  should  make  anyone  happy.  To  voy- 
age for  two  months  In  a  splendid  boat  amid  beautiful 
tropical  islands;  to  visit  them  all,  and  know  that  in 
the  more  than  twenty-five  scheduled  stopping-places 
a  reception  awaited  from  a  people  unrivaled  in  hos- 
pitality; to  share  this  experience  with  tried  compan- 
ions, grown  intimate  through  months  of  work  and 
pleasant  association,  and  to  realize  further  that  we 
are  pioneers  in  a  movement  pointing  our  country 
along  new  and  momentous  paths  of  destiny  and 
power  —  all  this  gave  cause  to  feel  that  fortune  had 
indeed  been  kind  in  counting  us  among  those  called 
for  such  a  journey  and  such  a  work.  Not  only  are 
we  to  replace  military  by  civil  rule  throughout  a 
great  Archipelago,  but  we  are  commissioned  as  well 
to  plant  in  virgin  soil  those  principles  of  government 
which  lead  to  the   progress  and  enlightenment  of 

[i66] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

races.  Not  that  the  Filipinos  appreciate  all  this  as 
yet,  or  sec  in  the  Commission  instruments  of  fate 
shaping  their  future  destiny;  all  they  see  is  a  body 
of  men  vested  with  power  to  relieve  them  of  the 
rigors  of  military  rule,  and  give  substance  to  their 
aspirations  for  local  government.  They  rejoice 
accordingly,  and  the  Commissioners  are  everywhere 
hailed  as  the  Messiahs  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

The  first  province  on  our  repertoire  was  Tayabas, 
the  convention  being  billed  for  Lucena.  Our  jour- 
ney thither  led  us  down  the  quiet  reaches  of  the 
Straits  of  Mindoro,  skirting  the  shores  of  Luzon. 
We  anchored  late  In  the  afternoon  in  front  of  the 
peak  of  Banahao,  which  sweeps  directly  from  the 
sea  to  an  elevation  of  over  seven  thousand  feet. 
With  a  bank  of  clouds  wreathing  its  summit,  it  tow- 
ered the  commanding  monarch  of  a  beautiful  coun- 
tryside. We  did  not  land  until  morning,  when  two 
of  the  ship's  cutters  were  taken  In  tow  by  our  little 
launch  and  headed  up  a  small  river  to  the  Lucena 
landing.  Immense  cocoanut  groves  stretched  as  far 
as  eye  could  see,  and  a  wilderness  of  nipa  palm  and 
jungle  growth  ran  riot  to  the  water's  edge.  A  huge 
crocodile  basking  upon  a  heap  of  debris  by  the  river 
side  gave  a  finishing  touch  to  the  picture  and  com- 
pleted our  enthusiasm. 

We  drove  Into  Lucena  to  the  music  of  various 
energetic  bands,  the  clamor  of  bells,  and  the 
"Vivas"  of  the  entire  population.  The  Commission 
repaired  at  once  to  the  school  building,  where  a 
public  session  was  held  and  the  provincial  act  ex- 

[167] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

plained  by  Judge  Taft.  Luncheon  was  served  at 
the  home  of  the  Alcalde.  This  repast  —  a  fore- 
runner of  many  such  in  store  —  consisted  of  innu- 
merable meat  courses,  with  a  paralyzing  assortment 
of  wines,  diilces,  fruits,  etc.  How  we  were  expected 
to  transact  business  in  a  sun-stricken  audience  hall 
after  eating  that  meal  remains  a  question.  Before 
the  afternoon  session  some  of  us  visited  the  town 
church,  where  we  happened  on  a  christening  cere- 
mony. 

Provincial  organization  was  completed  at  the 
afternoon  session,  keen  interest  being  developed 
over  the  question  whether  the  capital  should  be 
removed  from  Tayabas  to  Lucena.  It  was  finally 
submitted  to  a  vote,  Lucena  winning  by  a  small  mar- 
gin. The  delegates  took  an  active  and  intelligent 
part  in  the  discussion,  and  were  very  much  alive  to 
the  problems  presented. 

The  original  arrangement  was  to  remain  in 
Lucena  over-night,  drive  to  Tayabas  next  morning, 
and  return  aboard  ship  the  same  evening.  When 
this  plan  was  announced  the  delegation  from  Taya- 
bas was  ready  to  weep.  They  said  their  people  had 
arranged  an  elaborate  banquet  and  ball  for  the  fol- 
lowing night,  and  there  would  be  woe  and  bitter 
disappointment  should  we  fail  them.  Their  tearful 
entreaties  prevailed,  and  we  returned  to  the  boat  to 
fortify  ourselves  for  what  we  knew  was  coming 
to  us. 

The  following  morning  dawned  with  an  overcast 
sky  and  occasional  burst  of  rain.     The  prospect  of 

[i68] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

a  ride  through  a  choppy  sea,  to  be  followed  by  nine 
miles  in  an  ambulance  over  bumpy  roads,  did  not 
appeal  to  some  of  the  party.  Only  five  ladies 
responded  to  the  call,  i.  e.,  Mrs.  Taft,  Miss  Herron, 
Miss  Briggs,  Mrs.  LeRoy,  and  Miss  Bourns.  We 
were  a  goodly  company,  nevertheless,  and  the  fine 
drizzle  that  beat  upon  us  may  have  dampened  our 
clothes,  but  not  our  ardor.  The  drive  to  Tayabas, 
though  not  a  rest  physically,  was  a  treat  in  ever^ 
other  respect.  There  were  four  ambulances,  each 
drawn  by  a  four-mule  team,  while  as  escort  we  had 
a  troop  of  American  soldiers,  some  native  police, 
and  a  concourse  of  the  citizens  of  Tayabas.  This 
guard  was  more  a  matter  of  honor  than  protection, 
as  the  province  is  thoroughly  pacified.  The  road 
wound  its  way  for  the  entire  distance  through  an 
immense  cocoanut  grove.  Looking  backward  or  for- 
ward, you  saw  a  vista  of  these  beautiful  trees  with 
their  chiseled  stems  and  tufted  tops,  and  from  every 
elevation  they  spread  a  sea  of  waving  plumes  to  the 
horizon.  Tayabas  is  noted  for  its  cocoanut  indus- 
try, the  number  of  trees  being  estimated  at  over  ten 
million.  Each  tree  is  said  to  yield  a  net  profit  of  over 
a  peso  per  year.  On  reaching  Tayabas  we  were  taken 
direct  to  the  church  and  convento,  the  latter  having 
been  prepared  for  our  accommodation.  During  the 
Insurrrection  against  Spain  the  garrison  from  ad- 
joining towns  made  their  last  stand  in  this  church, 
where  they  were  besieged  for  fifty-six  days  before 
surrendering.  The  walls  are  pitted  with  bullet 
marks,  as  are  most  of  the  houses  in  the  town. 

[169] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

Our  coming  was  heraldea  with  the  usual  bands 
and  outpouring  of  people,  the  latter  crowding  after 
us  into  the  convento  until  it  was  jammed.  In  the 
center  of  the  hall  stood  a  large  table  stocked  with 
all  sorts  of  drinkables  and  the  ever-present  cigars 
and  cigarettes.  The  speech  of  welcome  delivered  us 
remains  an  unforgettable  one.  Scarcely  had  we 
assembled  when  a  Filipino  dashed  into  a  clear  spot 
near  the  Commission  and  in  a  shrill  voice  which 
broke  on  the  high  notes,  and  with  wildly  gesticulat- 
ing arms,  told  his  tale  of  joy  at  our  coming.  The 
matter  of  his  speech  was  passable,  but  his  manner  of 
delivery  was  something  appalling.  When  he  came 
to  his  "  Vivas''  he  started  at  the  top  of  his  voice  and 
finished  with  a  doleful  squeak.  It  was  a  time  to 
laugh,  and  our  desire  so  to  do  struggled  hard  with 
our  obligation  to  preserve  a  respectful  countenance. 
Later  we  learned  the  speaker  was  a  bit  loco,  and  his 
appearance  formed  no  part  of  the  reception  pro- 
gram. Judge  Taft  started  to  respond,  but  before 
he  was  well  under  way  our  crazy  friend  cried,  "  Fiva 
la  Comisionf"  and  the  crowd,  thinking  the  speech 
was  ended,  closed  in  and  choked  off  further  oratory. 
Meantime  the  ladies  were  being  offered  copious 
draughts  of  whiskey,  it  being  assumed  that  Amer- 
icans drink  liquor  as  other  people  do  water. 

We  took  tiffin  at  the  home  of  the  Vice-President, 
our  long  drive  enabling  us  to  do  better  justice  to  it 
than  usual.  Quite  a  number  of  women  were  present, 
though  the  role  they  play  at  these  functions  is  a 
minor  one.     They  usually  sit  In  a  row  on  one  side 

[  170] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

of  the  room,  segregated  from  the  men,  and  seldom 
utter  a  word  unless  addressed.     With  their  flowered 
camisas  and  pafiuelos  and  their  beaver-tailed  bro- 
caded skirts  spread  carefully  before  them,  they  seem 
a  collection  of  lay  figures  set  up  to  delight  the  eye. 
In  the  evening  the  promised  baile  and  banquet 
took  place,  and  to  describe  them  would  be  simply 
to  expand  on  the  admirable  qualities  of  the  Filipino 
as  host.     There  was  the  usual  crowd  of  men  in  offi- 
cial black,  bowing  and  smiling,  with  a  background 
of  dainty  femininity  bedecked  in  jewels  and  fine  rai- 
ment.    It  was  a  scene  full  of  color,  with  no  hint  of 
that  grim  figure,  scarcely  out  of  sight,  which  had  so 
lately  traced  his  course  in  blood  and  flame  across 
the  lives  of  the  people.     The  situation  seemed  a  bit 
unreal.     It  was  hard  to  understand  why  the  passion- 
ate hatreds  of  war  had  left  no  apparent  bitterness 
in  their  wake.    As  the  music  rose  and  fell,  and  white 
and  brown  mingled  freely  together  in  the  dance,  I 
talked  with  one  of   their  old  men  and  sought  to 
fathom   the    riddle.      What   he   told   me   explained 
much,  and  I  saw  where  the  answer  lay.     I  had  been 
trying,  as  so  many  others  are  doing,  to  judge  the 
state  of  feeling  of  these  people  by  Anglo-Saxon  tra- 
ditions, rather  than  taking  their  own  history  as  a 
standard.     My  informant  spoke  of  their  life  under 
the  Spaniards,  when  they  were  treated  as  inferior 
beings  and  given  no  participation  in  public  affairs; 
of  their  exploitation  by  a  rapacious  clergy,  and  how 
their  aspirations  for  learning  and  advancement  were 
frowned  upon  or  ruthlessly  suppressed  as  a  menace 

[171] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

to  the  state;  of  the  final  uprising  against  intolerable 
abuses,  and  the  cruel  reprisals  inflicted  upon  them 
when  they  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands.  He  referred 
to  the  coming  of  the  Americans,  and  the  unfortunate 
insurrection  waged  against  us  at  the  behest  of  ambi- 
tious leaders  who  misrepresented  our  character  and 
purposes;  of  their  discovery  later  that  our  soldiers 
and  officers  were  not  ogres,  but  men  who  treated 
them  with  cordiality  and  were  willing  to  be  friends 
if  given  the  opportunity;  that  almost  before  the 
smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  schools  were  started 
for  their  children  and  soldiers  detailed  to  teach 
them;  that  municipalities  were  organized,  and  the 
people  given  a  voice  in  the  election  of  their  officers; 
that  no  attempt  was  made  to  coerce  them  in  religion 
or  religious  matters;  that  a  provincial  government 
had  just  been  organized  wherein  the  Filipinos  would 
elect  their  own  government;  that  the  Commission 
had  honored  them  by  a  visit,  and  had  given  personal 
assurances  not  only  that  we  held  no  animosity  toward 
them,  but  would  help  them  to  realize  every  legiti- 
mate aspiration.  All  this  was  in  such  contrast  to 
what  would  have  been  meted  them  under  the  former 
regime  that  their  gratitude  was  sincere,  and  they 
desired  their  welcome  to  assure  us  of  the  fact.  Just 
now  we  are  Moses  leading  them  into  a  promised 
land.  Let  us  hope  as  time  passes  they  will  not  forget 
their  bricks  without  straw  and  begin  to  cry  for  their 
imaginary  flesh  pots  again. 

That  night  we   all  lodged   in   the  convento,   the 
women  occupying  one  large  room  and  the  men  an- 

r  172] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

other.  There  were  thirteen  beds  in  our  ward,  con- 
tributed by  various  leading  citizens  of  the  town.  I 
rested  well,  though  my  pillow  seemed  stuffed  with 
bricks,  and  some  of  my  companions  had  the  unfor- 
tunate habit  of  audible  sleep. 

Before  seven  next  day  we  were  off  for  Lucena 
and  the  sea,  our  return  drive  through  the  fresh, 
rain-scented  morning  proving  delicious.  The  next 
point  on  our  itinerary  was  Boac,  Island  of  Marin- 
duque,  three  hours  to  the  southward.  During  Span- 
ish rule  Marinduque  was  a  sub-province  of  Mindoro, 
but  as  most  of  its  trade  is  with  Tayabas,  the  Com- 
mission wished  to  discuss  with  its  people  the  project 
of  annexation  to  the  latter  province. 

We  anchored  quite  near  shore,  which,  with  its 
coral  beach,  its  fringe  of  palms,  and  its  up-springing, 
verdure-clad  hills,  realized  our  ideal  of  tropical  lux- 
uriousness  and  beauty.  Shortly  after  three  o'clock 
the  men  folks  went  ashore  and  made  the  drive  to 
Boac,  two  and  a  half  miles  inland.  Our  old  friend, 
the  army  ambulance,  was  lacking  there,  its  place 
being  taken  by  native  carromatas.  These  vehicles 
were  built  for  people  of  smaller  girth  than  most  of 
our  party,  and  furnished  not  only  a  tight  squeeze, 
but  had  a  tendency  to  tip  over  backward  and  swing 
the  little  ponies  off  their  feet.  Despite  this  they 
shot  off  as  if  tearing  to  a  fire,  their  haste  being  as 
startling  as  unusual. 

We  drove  to  military  neadquarters,  located  In  an 
old  church  or  citadel  overlooking  the  city  and  river. 
The  place  is  really  a  fort  enclosing  the  church,  and 

[173] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

was  built  some  two  centuries  ago  as  a  protection 
against  Moro  pirates.  The  view  from  the  tower 
commanded  a  panorama  of  hills  and  glens  and  low- 
lying  clouds  reminding  much  of  the  Scottish  high- 
lands. After  a  visit  with  the  officers,  and  announce- 
ment of  a  meeting  for  the  morrow,  we  started  for 
the  boat.  It  rained,  and  the  heavy  roads  exhausted 
the  little  ponies,  many  of  whom  finally  refused  to 
go  at  all  except  by  jerks,  first  one  being  in  the  lead 
and  then  another,  giving  rise  to  alternate  jeers  and 
cheers.  Mr.  Fergusson,  our  Secretary,  who  weighs 
two  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  had  quite  a  handicap. 
He  stated  later  that  no  power  on  earth  —  not  even  a 
squad  of  soldiers  —  could  compel  him  to  get  into 
one  of  those  carts  again.  In  the  evening  the  military 
band  from  the  post  treated  us  to  a  serenade  and 
the  hours  sped  joyfully. 


March  75,  I  go  I. 
At  the  session  this  morning  strong  opposition 
developed  to  annexation  with  Tayabas  or  any  other 
place,  the  people  insisting  upon  a  district  all  their 
own.  This  attitude  is  dictated  by  local  pride,  with  a 
sublime  ignorance  of  the  expense  and  responsibility 
involved.  About  ten  o'clock  the  ladles  from  the 
Sumtier  appeared  on  the  scene,  being  the  first  Amer- 
ican women  to  set  foot  on  Marlnduque.  Needless 
to  say,  they  created  something  of  a  sensation.  The 
children  of  the  town  swarmed  after  them  in  droves, 
and  we  could  hear  the  tumult  from  afar.     There  is 

[174] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

no  question  but  that  the  presence  of  the  ladies  is 
assisting  the  Commission  materially  in  its  work. 
They  not  only  interest  the  populace,  and  help  put 
life  into  social  functions,  but  they  furnish  an  evi- 
dence of  our  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  the 
people.  Another  feature  which  undoubtedly  lends 
force  to  our  mission,  and  aids  greatly  in  impressing 
the  public,  is  the  size  and  avoirdupois  of  the  Com- 
missioners. The  aggregate  weight  of  the  five  Com- 
missioners and  their  Secretary  is  thirteen  hundred 
and  sixty-two  pounds,  or  an  average  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  pounds  per.  When  all  are  lined 
up  behind  a  table  they  come  near  filling  the  space 
allotted  them,  not  only  in  fact  but  in  the  imagination 
of  the  people.  To  a  race  small  of  stature,  with  a 
childlike  reverence  for  those  in  power,  the  dominat- 
ing influence  of  this  mere  physical  bigness  is  an 
important  Item. 

The  sentiment  for  a  separate  organization  was 
so  strong  that  the  Commission  finally  agreed  to  it, 
with  the  proviso  that  when  we  returned  from  the 
south  the  island  be  entirely  pacified.  Marlnduque, 
though  small,  has  been  quite  actively  Insurgent.  It 
was  here  that  Captain  Shields  and  some  thirty  men 
were  taken  prisoners  last  fall  and  carried  Into  the 
hills.  A  fight  occurred  two  weeks  ago,  when  four 
soldiers  were  wounded,  and  an  American  was  shot 
on  the  road  between  Boac  and  the  beach  a  few  days 
since.  About  two  hundred  and  fifty  insurgents  are 
still  In  the  hills,  although  it  is  evident  most  of  the 
people  honestly  desire  peace. 

[175] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  Chief  Justice  Arellano 
gave  a  short  talk,  the  memory  of  which  is  of  the 
sort  that  lives.  Arellano  is  small  of  build,  with 
nothing  remarkable  in  his  appearance,  but  his  words 
today  seemed  touched  with  living  fire.  The  con- 
vincing earnestness  of  his  delivery  and  the  absolute 
sureness  with  which  he  put  into  a  few  pregnant 
sentences  his  message  to  the  people  were  marvelous. 
He  painted  their  struggles  and  aspirations,  their 
sufferings  and  sorrows,  and  then  pointed  out  the 
futility  of  all  these  longings  without  a  teacher  to 
guide  them  —  someone  to  direct  them  along  the 
path  for  which  their  feet  were  all  untried;  this 
teacher  was  the  great  American  people,  a  nation 
whose  foundations  were  laid  deep  in  the  liberty  of 
the  individual  and  the  preservation  of  human  rights. 
He  referred  to  the  Commission,  and  called  his  audi- 
ence to  witness  that  its  members  came  among  them, 
not  as  lords  and  masters,  but  as  men  willing  and 
anxious  to  learn  the  will  of  the  people  and  follow  it; 
today,  before  their  very  eyes,  they  had  received  an 
evidence  of  this  purpose  to  respect  their  wishes,  when 
the  question  of  local  government  was  submitted  to 
them.  When  had  this  ever  been  done  before  ?  When 
could  they  ever  hope  for  it  except  under  the  protec- 
tion of  a  nation  strong  enough  and  great  enough  to 
be  just  and  generous?  He  told  them,  as  they  had 
faith  in  him  (and  there  is  no  Filipino  more  loved 
and  honored),  that  he  guaranteed  all  these  blessings, 
and  urged  them  to  prove  worthy  of  the  trust. 

Wc  took  tiffin  with  the  people,  our  bill  of  fare 

[176! 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

being  limited  to  local  products,  as  the  ports  of  the 
island  have  been  closed  for  over  six  months.  Truth 
to  tell,  our  main  interest  in  these  affairs  now  centers 
largely  on  the  crowd.  Life  is  too  sweet  to  hazard 
it  too  recklessly  on  the  great  array  of  eatables 
usually  pressed  upon  us.  Miss  Briggs  and  I  drove 
back  to  the  beach  in  one  of  their  little  carromatas, 
and  waved  our  hands  and  glued  our  faces  into  a  per- 
petual smile  for  the  benefit  of  our  little  brown 
brothers  along  the  road. 


March  i6,   igoi. 

After  a  run  of  three  hours,  we  dropped  anchor 
this  morning  in  the  beautiful  little  harbor  of  Rom- 
blon.  The  town  lies  between  two  jutting  headlands, 
with  high  hills  rising  behind  it.  The  inhabitants  are 
Visayans,  who  are  reputed  a  milder  race  than  the 
Tagalogs.  As  a  number  of  the  delegates  did  not 
speak  Spanish,  Judge  Taft's  remarks  were  Inter- 
preted into  Visayan.  The  people  appeared  a  bit 
more  reticent  here  than  elsewhere,  due  perhaps  to 
the  fact  that  few  of  them  are  wealthy,  a  condition 
which  alone  seems  to  justify  pretensions  of  any  kind 
in  the  Philippines.  They  felt  very  badly  at  not  being 
able  to  tender  us  a  great  spread.  We  were  not  sorry 
and  returned  to  the  boat  for  dinner. 

In  the  meantime  a  friend  and  I  mounted  to  an  old 
fort  above  the  town,  used  in  former  days  to  repel 
Moro  pirates.  It  is  now  weather-beaten  and  crum- 
bling,   its    gray    sides    and    uneven    walls    showing 

[  177] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

scarred  and  broken  beneath  Its  mantle  of  tropical 
green.  The  sun  was  just  setting  over  one  of  the 
tiny  islands,  lighting  up  the  water  with  a  purple 
glow;  below  us  nestled  the  little  village,  its  narrow 
streets  appearing  threadlike  amid  the  sea  of  nipa; 
the  old  church,  with  its  ruined  bell  tower,  dominated 
the  scene,  and  in  the  mellow  glow  of  evening  seemed 
to  shed  rest  and  benediction  upon  all  the  place;  far 
up  the  mountain  paths  we  could  see  natives  in  bright- 
hued  costumes  winding  along  in  single  file  until  lost 
in  the  twilight  shadows;  out  in  the  bay  rode  the 
Sumner,  and  along  the  shore,  lying  deep  in  the 
gathering  dusk,  were  little  coasting  vessels,  their 
masts  tipped  with  light;  on  the  hills  the  tall  cbcoanut 
palms  stood  out  against  the  sky  like  sentinels  guard- 
ing the  valley.  It  was  good  just  to  live  and  feel 
the  inspiration  of  it  all. 

That  evening  a  haile  was  given  at  the  home  of 
Senor  Francisco  Sanz,  a  wealthy  Mestizo.  One  of 
the  most  interesting  features  was  a  native  dance, 
following  which  came  refreshments,  principally 
sweets,  of  which  there  was  a  wondrous  variety. 


March  //,  igoi. 
We  steamed  Into  Palanoc,  Island  of  Masbate,  at 
noon  today  after  an  eight  hours'  run.  Later  the 
Commission  and  a  small  party  went  ashore  and  met 
the  captain  of  the  garrison  and  some  of  the  promi- 
nent citizens.  Masbate  has  had  a  pretty  hard  row 
to  hoc.     Its  people  are  VIsayans,  whose  pacific  na- 

[178] 


'^m 


£ 


a. 


o 
c 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

ture  has  made  them  a  prey  to  ladrones  and  pirates 
from  adjoining  islands.  During  the  insurrection 
their  towns  were  burned  to  the  ground,  and  recently 
their  chief  industry,  cattle  raising,  has  been  destroyed 
by  rinderpest,  a  disease  which  has  swept  through  the 
herds  of  the  island,  leaving  scarce  a  living  beast. 
One  of  the  surest  signs  of  their  poverty  was  the 
absence  of  music,  for  poor  indeed  is  a  Filipino  vil- 
lage that  does  not  sport  a  band.  After  a  short  recep- 
tion, and  having  arranged  for  a  meeting  in  the  morn- 
ing, we  returned  to  the  ship. 


March  i8,  igoi. 
The  Province  of  Masbate  includes  not  only  the 
island  of  that  name  but  various  neighboring  islands, 
all  but  two  of  whose  fifteen  towns  were  represented 
at  the  session.  Judge  Taft  made  the  usual  explana- 
tion of  the  provincial  law  and  of  the  special  act 
applying  it  to  the  province.  His  talk  this  morning 
impressed  me  as  a  master  one.  It  was  in  detail,  yet 
succinct  and  clear,  fitted  to  the  comprehension  of  the 
people.  The  different  presidents  were  invited  to 
express  their  views  concerning  salaries,  etc.,  and  to 
describe  conditions  In  their  respective  towns.  The 
situation  revealed  was  one  to  excite  pity.  There 
seems  to  be  no  regular  trade  or  Industry  among  them. 
They  plant  a  few  sweet  potatoes,  some  corn,  a  little 
hemp  and  cocoa,  cut  firewood  and  timber  from  the 
public  forests,  and  do  some  fishing.  Since  the  loss 
of  their  cattle  they  have  nothing  for  export.     The 

[179] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

daily  wage  of  laborers  is  twenty-five  cents  Mexican, 
with  ten  cents  for  food. 

In  appointing  provincial  officers  the  duties  of  gov- 
ernor and  secretary  were  combined,  and  the  Fiscal 
of  Romblon  assigned  to  Masbate,  greatly  reducing 
expenses.  Bonifacio  Serrano  was  appointed  Gov- 
ernor, and  a  Corporal  of  the  Second  Infantry,  Super- 
visor. It  was  dark  before  the  meeting  closed  and  the 
oath  of  office  administered  to  the  appointees.  This 
was  done  by  Chief  Justice  Arellano  to  the  feeble 
flicker  of  kerosene  lamps,  and  presented  a  striking 
spectacle.  Back  in  the  shadows  stood  the  delegates, 
the  Commission  looming  gigantic  in  the  foreground. 
The  Corporal  was  coatless,  and  as  he  stood,  tall  and 
lank,  and  with  uplifted  hand  swore  to  support  ever 
the  flag  of  his  country,  and  perform  well  and  faith- 
fully the  duties  devolving  upon  him,  he  typified  the 
democracy  of  our  nation  and  the  spirit  of  a  race 
which  has  marked  the  world  with  its  frontiers. 

Later  there  was  a  dance  at  headquarters,  which 
most  of  our  party  attended.  The  sefioritas  wore 
beautiful  costumes  and  were  more  attractive  than 
the  average  of  these  people;  they  also  danced  the 
two-step,  something  quite  new  in  the  islands.  We 
have  discovered  that  no  diplomacy  need  be  used  in 
paying  compliments  to  these  little  ladies.  To  tell 
them  they  are  beautiful,  or  that  your  heart  Is  torn 
asunder  at  the  thought  of  parting,  creates  no  ap- 
parent distrust  of  your  sincerity.  They  respond 
with  a  smile,  and  a  mil  gracilis  sefior,  which  inspires 
to  further  courtesy. 

[i8o] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

March  ig,  igoi. 
Today  was  passed  at  sea.  We  left  Masbate  at 
midnight  and  are  due  in  Iloilo  early  tomorrow.  We 
have  been  within  sight  of  land  all  day,  and  this 
morning  nearly  ran  aground.  The  Spanish  chart 
showed  twenty  fathoms  of  water,  but  when  the  ship 
stopped  we  were  touching  bottom.  It  is  a  joy  to 
have  a  day  of  quiet.  While  our  trip  thus  far  has 
afforded  plenty  of  "  change,"  it  has  contained  mighty 
little  "rest."  In  our  first  week  we  have  organized 
three  provinces,  besides  meeting  in  public  session 
the  people  of  Marinduque. 


March  20,  igoi. 

Hollo,  the  second  city  of  the  islands,  does  not  pre- 
sent an  imposing  appearance.  It  lies  almost  level 
with  the  Panay  coast,  the  mountains  being  too  dis- 
tant to  relieve  the  general  flatness.  Most  of  the 
town  was  burned  by  the  insurgents  upon  the  coming 
of  American  troops,  and  is  but  partially  rebuilt.  The 
people  are  Visayans,  and  such  little  fighting  as  oc- 
curred in  the  island  was  fomented  by  Tagalogs  from 
Luzon.  We  anchored  before  eight,  and  received  an 
early  visit  from  the  major  portion  of  the  "  Partido 
Federel."  They  were  attired  in  full  black,  one  of 
the  visitors  being  in  evening  dress  with  white  gloves 
and  opera  hat.  The  collection  of  "derbys"  helped 
to  solve  the  problem  of  what  becomes  of  our  anti- 
quated styles.  General  Hughes  and  staff  also  came 
aboard,  and  quite  a  levee  was  held.     We  landed  at 

[181] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ten-thirty  and  found  the  whole  population,  including 
numerous  bands,  at  the  wharf  to  greet  us.  The 
party  scattered  until  noon,  when  we  met  at  the  home 
of  Seiior  de  la  Rama  for  tiffin.  A  friend  and  I  put 
in  the  interim  driving  about  in  one  of  their  primitive 
conveyances,  and  doubtless  proved  a  puzzle  to  our 
cochero,  who  could  not  fathom  why  anyone  in  his 
senses  should  want  to  drive  hither  and  thither  with- 
out an  objective  point. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  establish  a  government  here 
until  our  return  in  April.  A  meeting  was  held,  how- 
ever, and  speeches  made  by  Judge  Taft,  Chief  Jus- 
tice Arellano,  Dr.  Tavera,  Commissioner  Worces- 
ter, Judge  Llorente,  General  Flores,  and  Serior 
Villanueva,  of  Iloilo.  I  do  not  recall  a  series  of 
talks  on  our  entire  trip  which  more  fully  set  out  the 
plans  and  purposes  of  the  Commission,  or  indicated 
a  clearer  grasp  by  the  people  of  the  situation.  Judge 
Taft  presided  with  that  cordial,  good-natured  ex- 
pression which  is  one  of  his  greatest  charms,  and 
which  cannot  but  inspire  confidence  and  good-will.  In 
listening  to  the  speakers,  and  watching  the  eager, 
intelligent  attitude  of  the  audience,  I  wished  those  of 
our  countrymen  who  are  decrying  and  hindering  this 
work  could  have  been  present.  They  might  then 
understand  that  we  are  not  only  offering  these  peo- 
ple complete  local  autonomy,  but  are  guaranteeing 
them  by  our  presence  two  priceless  blessings  they 
have  never  known;  i.  e.,  honesty  in  the  administration 
of  justice  and  a  free  public  school  education.  As  a 
people  they  have  everything  to  gain  by  loyalty  and 

[182] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

everything  to  lose  by  disloyalty.  The  masses  will 
never  want  to  rebel,  and  the  few  who  might  be 
active  in  stirring  trouble  cannot  fail  to  realize  the 
futility  and  foolishness  of  such  a  step.  I  predict 
there  will  never  be  a  new  insurrection. 

Tomorrow  we  go  to  Bacolod,  Island  of  Negros, 
lying  just  across  the  straits  from  Iloilo.  As  the 
passage  is  somewhat  dangerous  and  the  Sumner 
needs  coaling,  the  journey  is  to  be  made  in  the  Chur- 
ruca,  3.  small  coasting  vessel. 


March  2i,  igoi. 

We  left  the  Sumner  at  nine-thirty  this  morning 
prepared  for  an  absence  of  three  days.  The  run  to 
Bacolod  took  over  three  hours  and  was  anything 
but  a  pleasure  trip.  Our  boat  pitched  and  tossed 
outrageously,  and  faces  usually  sunny  took  on  a  seri- 
ous and  anixous  look,  with  a  tendency  "to  seek  the 
seclusion  the  cabin  grants."  Dr.  Tavera,  whom 
the  slightest  motion  upsets,  looked  the  picture  of 
woe.  Judge  Taft,  whose  spirits  seemed  to  rise  as 
others  fell,  rallied  the  Doctor  upon  his  failing,  say- 
ing that  as  a  medical  man  of  international  repute  he 
should  know  a  cure  for  seasickness.  To  this  the 
Doctor  replied  that  he  knew  a  perfect  remedy;  i.e., 
to  take  a  walk  in  a  garden. 

In  a  former  letter  I  described  a  reception  given 
the  Commission  off  the  coast  of  Bataan,  where  we 
were  hailed  by  a  great  fleet  of  decorated  bancas.  I 
thought  then  it  was  a  sight  that  would  never  be  dupli- 

[183] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

cated,  but  it  has  been  rivaled  today.  As  our  boat 
neared  the  Negros  coast  there  swept  out  from  the 
gray  horizon  numberless  proas  —  deep,  narrow 
craft  with  wide  spreading  sails  and  outriggers.  The 
wind  was  strong  and  the  sea  rough,  and  as  the  wildly 
surging  boats  careened  from  side  to  side  the  occu- 
pants shifted  from  one  outrigger  to  the  other  as 
ballast,  the  sea  constantly  ducking  them.  Under  full 
sail  and  with  banners  flying  they  cut  through  the 
water  at  a  tremendous  rate,  veering,  turning,  and 
circling  about  us  like  winged  things,  the  crew 
apparently  risking  their  lives  at  every  turn. 

Like  most  of  the  island  towns,  Bacolod  has  no 
harbor,  merely  an  open  roadstead.  To  reach  shore 
two  transfers  were  necessary,  first  into  a  steam 
launch  and  then  into  a  magnificent,  canopied  banca. 
The  tide  was  high,  else  we  would  have  had  to  make 
another  change  into  carabao  carts.  The  population 
of  Bacolod  lined  the  shore  by  thousands.  The  place 
was  gay  with  flags  and  arches,  and  the  air  pulsated 
with  music.  While  we  are  growing  somewhat  used 
to  this  sort  of  thing,  it  still  retains  its  element  of 
strangeness. 

Ample  preparations  had  been  made  for  our 
reception  and  lodgment.  Twelve  of  us  are  domi- 
ciled in  one  house,  the  family  having  vacated.  It  is 
a  sort  of  bachelor's  dormitory  with  kitchen  attach- 
ment, our  meals  being  served  in  the  house.  They 
consist  of  purely  Filipino  products,  and  though  we 
appreciate  the  evident  zeal  of  our  hosts,  the  prospect 
of  three  days  of  it  makes  the  crowd  look  solemn. 

[184] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

That  evening  a  reception  was  tendered  the  Commis- 
sion at  the  Government  house,  the  mihtary  and  nu- 
merous native  dignitaries  being  present.  The  rooms 
were  large,  with  beautiful  hardwood  floors  poHshed 
to  a  state  of  transparent  briUiancy. 


March  22,  igoi. 

Negros  occupies  a  somewhat  unique  position,  as  it 
already  enjoys  a  form  of  civil  government.  The 
people  accepted  American  sovereignty  without  in- 
surrection, and  a  scheme  of  government  was  devised 
by  the  military.  The  system  has  proved  somewhat 
cumbersome  and  expensive,  and  opposition  has  de- 
veloped to  it  and  to  the  personnel  of  the  present 
officers.  Those  in  power  naturally  seek  to  perpetuate 
themselves,  but  there  is  a  strong  faction  demanding 
that  regular  provincial  government  be  applied.  The 
residents  of  the  east  coast  also  ask  that  they  be 
erected  into  a  separate  province,  claiming  that  Baco- 
lod  is  not  only  inaccessible  but  that  they  do  not  get 
a  fair  share  of  the  revenues.  It  was  a  battle  royal 
into  which  the  Commission  plunged  when  it  met  the 
people  this  morning. 

At  twelve  we  adjourned  until  maiiana,  our  entire 
coterie  having  been  invited  for  the  afternoon  to  a 
banquet  at  the  hacienda  "  Rosario,"  a  large  sugar 
plantation  seven  miles  distant,  owned  by  Seiior  Lac- 
son.  The  Philippines  are  noted  for  their  sugar 
lands;  of  the  various  islands  Negros  stands  first,  and 
of  all  the  plantations  that  of  "  Rosario"  Is  the  best. 

[185] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

The  drive  was  made  In  a  variety  of  vehicles,  grading 
from  army  ambulances  to  a  species  of  two-wheeled 
box  drawn  by  humped  cows.  These  latter  trot  along 
just  like  horses  and  make  very  excellent  time.  En 
route,  as  one  of  these  box  affairs  was  crossing  a 
small  river,  the  shafts  became  unloosened  and  the 
contrivance  tipped  over  backwards.  Mr.  Branagan 
and  Rupert  Fergusson,  who  chanced  to  be  the  vic- 
tims, stood  on  their  backs  with  their  feet  waving 
wildly  in  the  air  until  help  arrived.  They  suffered 
no  damage  save  a  wetting,  with  a  possible  hurt  to 
their  feelings  on  account  of  the  boisterous  and  incon- 
siderate mirth  of  those  who  witnessed  their  plight. 
Our  reception  and  banquet  at  the  hacienda  realized 
every  conception  we  had  formed  of  life  on  these 
great  country  estates.  The  house,  which  is  Immense, 
is  Itself  the  center  of  a  small  village  where  live  the 
employees  of  the  plantation,  estimated  at  over  a 
thousand.  Senor  Lacson  has  his  own  police,  his  own 
band,  and  all  the  accessories  of  a  small  principality. 
A  little  to  one  side  stands  the  mill  where  the  cane  Is 
ground  and  sugar  made.  A  half  mile  to  the  west  lay 
the  sea;  to  the  east,  almost  as  far  as  we  could  see, 
stretched  the  rich  cane  and  rice  lands,  Interspersed 
with  feathery  bamboo  and  tall  cocoanut  palms.  Here 
and  there  over  the  fields  could  be  seen  carabaos 
drawing  carts  loaded  with  cane  to  the  mills.  Beyond 
all  rose  the  mountains,  part  of  the  chain  which  di- 
vides the  island.  We  sat  down  to  table  before  three, 
and  it  was  after  five  when  we  arose.  The  function 
was  perfect  In  its  arrangements,  and  the  Commission 

[i86] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

and  party  relaxed  for  a  time  from  all  thought  of 
politics  and  problems.  Toasts  were  proposed  by 
Judge  Taft,  by  Judge  Yusay  of  the  island  courts,  and 
by  Dr.  Tavera.  During  his  speech  Seiior  Yusay  paid 
one  of  the  most  glowing  tributes  to  American  women 
I  have  ever  heard.  Spanish  lends  itself  to  beautiful 
phrasing  and  to  sentiments  which  in  our  more  prac- 
tical English  might  sound  a  little  romantic.  He 
spoke  of  her  beauty  and  intelligence,  of  her  courage 
and  devotion,  and  of  those  high  qualities  which  led 
her  to  cross  wide  seas  and  brave  the  perils  of  un- 
known lands  to  cheer  the  husband  and  brother  In  the 
great  tasks  appointed  them. 

To  those  of  us  who  are  aware  of  the  fact  that 
more  women  are  waiting  In  San  Francisco  to  come 
to  the  Islands  than  can  be  accommodated,  and  that 
there  is  scarcely  a  woman  In  Manila  but  would  have 
been  glad  of  this  experience,  the  force  of  his  remarks 
was  somewhat  discounted.  He  was  sincere,  how- 
ever, for  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  part  played 
by  Anglo-Saxon  women  in  the  home  and  in  public 
affairs  is  very  different  from  that  allotted  to  those 
of  Latin  race  and  training. 


March  28,  igoi. 
At  the  meeting  this  morning  much  feeling  was 
manifested  by  some  of  the  speakers  in  referring  to 
the  present  government.  The  sentiment  seemed 
quite  general  that  it  should  be  changed  and  the  regu- 
lar provincial  act  applied.     The  tide  was  too  strong 

[187] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

for  the  present  officers  to  stem,  and  they  finally 
begged  only  for  time.  A  month's  leeway  was  accord- 
ingly granted,  the  change  to  occur  not  later  than 
May  I.  The  Commission  apparently  pleased  all 
factions  and  effected  a  satisfactory  solution  of  what 
threatened  to  be  a  serious  problem.  Here,  as  every- 
where, we  find  an  insistent  demand  for  schools.  One 
of  the  speakers  in  asking  for  American  teachers  inci- 
dentally raised  the  question  of  religious  Instruction, 
saying  the  people  hated  the  Friars  worse  than  they 
did  locusts.  As  the  locusts  have  seriously  damaged 
their  crops  for  years,  this  was  emphatic.  Later 
we  had  tiffin  with  the  Governor,  lasting  two  hours, 
followed  by  bicycle  races  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Federal  Party.  At  the  close  of  the  meet  Dr.  Tavera 
made  a  characteristic  speech,  in  which  he  said  that 
for  three  centuries  and  a  half  Spain  had  been  teach- 
ing the  Filipinos  the  way  to  heaven  and  little  else; 
that  now  the  Americans  would  try  to  teach  them  as 
well  how  best  to  live  on  earth;  that  Filipinos  in  mate- 
rial affairs,  as  In  the  construction  of  their  houses,  be- 
gan at  the  top,  putting  the  roof  on  first. 

The  Governor  gave  a  ball  in  the  evening,  a 
crowded  and  brilliant  affair.  These  entertainments 
usually  last  until  about  four  In  the  morning,  and 
while  we  do  not  usually  stay  until  that  hour,  we  are 
coming  to  believe  that  service  with  this  Commission 
means  not  only  a  test  of  mental  capacity  but  of  phys- 
ical endurance  as  well.  The  original  plan  was  to 
leave  for  Hollo  early  next  morning,  but  as  some  of 
the  party  considered  this  a  bit  strenuous,  the  hour 

[i88] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

was  changed  to  four  in  the  afternoon.  Commis- 
sioners Wright,  Ide,  and  Moses  arranged  to  leave 
on  a  quartermaster  launch  at  six  a.  m.,  and  I  was 
invited  to  join  them.  This  appealed  to  me  more 
than  an  extra  day  in  Bacolod,  with  the  chance  of 
further  ruining  my  digestion. 


March  2^,  igoi. 

Our  quartette  was  on  board  the  Sumner  shortly 
after  ten  A.  M.,  the  others  not  arriving  until  eleven  at 
night.  Tomorrow  afternoon  we  start  for  the  do- 
mains of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu,  which  will  be  our  long- 
est run  thus  far  —  about  thirty  hours. 


[189] 


XI 
THE  SOUTHERN  TRIP,  CONTINUED 
U.  S.  Transport  Sumner. 


> 


March  26,  igoi. 
^  I  ^HE  run  today  has  been  a  pleasant,  restful  one, 
"^  the  charm  of  which  lay  in  the  very  fact  of  its 
being  uneventful.  The  air  was  cool  and  fragrant, 
the  sea  calm,  and  the  party  good-natured  and  in- 
clined to  be  lazy.  All  day  we  sailed  close  beside 
pretty  little  islands,  clean-washed  and  smiling  in  their 
coat  of  green;  they  seemed  to  beckon  us  to  come 
and  play  with  them,  and  we  were  sorry  we  could 
not.  The  day  died  with  a  flare  of  purple  and  gold, 
over  which  a  great  white  moon  gradually  drew  a 
mantle  of  shimmering  silver  as  soft  and  filmy  as  the 
fiber  of  a  dream.  Through  this  white  radiance  our 
boat  glided  with  scarce  a  ripple,  bearing  us  on  to 
lands  of  newness  and  mystery  like  unto  those  sung 
in  olden  story.  As  we  gazed  out  over  the  sea,  and 
saw  the  shadow  of  strange  headlands  blur  the 
horizon,  there  tugged  at  memory  all  those  ancient 
tales  of  Argonaut  and  Odyssey,  whose  heroes  sailed 
a  younger  earth  and  found  therein  such  great  adven- 
ture. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  Sumner  anchored  off  the  little 

[  190] 


President   Taft   and    Sultan   of   Sulu 


Group  of  Bataks,  Paragua 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

town  of  Jolo,  the  chief  port  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago. 
We  are  now  in  Moroland,  the  habitat  of  genuine 
pirates  and  bolomen.  It  is  but  a  few  years  since 
their  long  proas  swept  all  these  southern  seas,  a 
menace  to  shipping  and  a  terror  to  their  Filipino 
neighbors,  whom  they  periodically  looted  of  treasure 
and  slaves.  They  represent  the  latest  wave  of  Malay 
invasion  of  the  Philippines,  and  are  still  practically 
untouched  by  modern  civilization.  Through  all  her 
occupation  Spain  struggled  in  vain  to  conquer  the 
Moro  and  subject  him  to  her  civil  and  religious  rule. 
Mohammedan  he  was  and  is;  a  fighter,  a  slave 
holder,  and  a  polygamist,  governed  by  his  own 
Sultans  and  Dattos  and  amenable  to  no  other  au- 
thority. The  greater  portion  of  Mindanao,  the 
Island  of  Basilan,  and  the  whole  of  the  Sulu  group, 
constitute  a  problem  entirely  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  so-called  "Christian  Provinces"  of  the 
archipelago.  There  Is  no  question  here  of  a 
Municipal  Code  or  Provincial  Government  Act;  the 
Moro  has  still  a  long  climb  before  he  can  remotely 
understand  their  meaning.  The  proposition  front- 
ing us  with  these  followers  of  Mohamet  is  to  pre- 
serve law  and  order,  while  interfering  as  little  as 
possible  with  their  religion,  tribal  customs,  and  local 
laws.  The  Sulu  Islands  are  now  administered  by  the 
military  under  a  treaty  entered  Into  between  General 
Bates  and  the  Sultan,  whereby  certain  money  pay- 
ments are  made  the  latter  and  his  authority  vari- 
ously recognized.  Thus  far  there  has  been  no  fric- 
tion,  though   this   furnishes   no   guarantee   for   the 

[191] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

future.  The  question  which  most  perplexes  our 
authorities  Is  the  attitude  to  be  taken  regarding 
slavery.  Naturally  we  cannot  recognize  or  protect 
it,  yet  any  attempt  to  abolish  or  arbitrarily  suppress 
the  practice  would  undoubtedly  precipitate  a  conflict 
with  a  somewhat  fierce  antagonist. 


JoLO,  March  27,  igoi. 

The  breakfast  gong  this  morning  found  all  the 
laggards  on  deck,  the  atmosphere  being  surcharged 
with  anticipation  over  the  day's  events.  There  was 
that  prevailing  restlessness  which  always  marks  the 
coming  Into  new  ports,  rendered  acute  here  by  the 
distant  sight  of  shore  boats  thronged  with  our 
piratical  fellow-citizens.  Shortly  before  ten  the  pro- 
cession started,  forming  into  three  long  columns, 
each  headed  by  a  triumphal  barge  canopied  In  bright 
scarlet.  We  could  hear  the  beat  of  tom-toms  and 
other  strange  Instruments,  mingled  with  the  cheers 
of  the  rowers,  as  the  regatta  moved  onward.  There 
were  sixty-five  craft  In  line,  rigged  out  in  barbaric 
splendor.  As  they  approached  the  transport  they 
converged  and  swept  around  us  a  dazzling  mass  of 
color.  The  noise,  the  brilliant  costumes,  the  move- 
ment, was  exhilarating,  and  we  tore  from  one  end 
of  the  ship  to  the  other,  whooping  and  yelling  in 
concert  with  our  more  savage  brothers. 

The  Sultan,  who  lives  at  Mauban,  twelve  miles 
across  the  hills,  came  to  Jolo  to  meet  the  Commis- 
sion,   the    ship's    launch    being    sent   to    bring    him 

[192] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

aboard.  He  appeared  about  eleven,  accompanied 
by  his  "Prime  Minister"  and  a  retinue  of  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  costumed  bolomen,  and  was  greeted 
with  a  salute  of  seventeen  guns.  The  Sultan  was 
dressed  in  an  European  military  uniform,  resplendent 
with  gold  braid.  He  was  met  at  the  gangway  by  the 
Commissioners,  and  then  ran  the  gauntlet  of  an 
interested  line  of  spectators.  A  conference  was  held 
later  through  an  interpreter,  and  assurances  given  of 
our  good  intentions,  and  of  our  purpose  to  respect 
the  religion  and  social  customs  of  his  people.  Be- 
fore leaving  he  was  introduced  to  the  ladies,  whom 
he  invited  to  visit  his  village  and  meet  the  women 
of  his  household.  The  Sultan  is  a  rather  weak  look- 
ing specimen,  and  it  is  said  he  is  as  weak  as  he  looks. 

The  fact  that  he  is  the  lawful  representative  of 
Mohammedanism  in  the  islands  is  the  only  thing 
which  enables  him  to  retain  any  sort  of  hold  over 
his  people  and  the  more  energetic  Dattos. 

We  all  went  ashore  in  the  afternoon  and  found 
Jolo  one  of  the  cleanest,  prettiest,  best-shaded  little 
spots  we  have  seen  in  the  islands.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  wall,  needed  in  former  times,  and  possibly  now, 
as  a  defense  against  the  Moros.  None  of  the  latter 
are  allowed  to  live  within  the  walls,  and  those  enter- 
ing are  required  to  deposit  their  bolos  at  the  gates. 
There  are  about  seven  hundred  soldiers  in  Jolo,  with 
their  quota  of  officers.  Today  was  a  holiday  for  the 
people,  and  they  gathered  from  far  and  near,  form- 
ing a  medley  of  humanity  which  baffles  description. 
An  area  had  been  roped  off  on  one  of  the  main  thor- 

[193] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

oughfares,  where  a  program  of  native  dances  and 
mimic  combats  was  staged.  With  their  large  shields 
and  long  spears  the  fighters  presented  a  formidable 
appearance,  their  gestures  and  expressions  in  the  dif- 
ferent numbers  being  strikingly  realistic.  Neither 
the  men  nor  women  are  prepossessing,  their  habit  of 
chewing  betel-nut  blackening  the  teeth  and  mouth, 
making  their  smile  and  laugh  something  hideous.  In 
the  evening  we  were  tendered  a  reception  by  the 
ladies  and  officers  of  the  post.  The  night  was  per- 
fect, the  bright  moonlight  throwing  into  relief  the 
tall  trees  and  causing  the  mountains  —  which  bulked 
dark  behind  the  town  —  to  appear  startlingly  near 
and  distinct. 


JoLO,  March  2g,  igoi. 

The  Commission  held  interviews  today  with 
Dattos,  military  officers,  and  others  concerning  the 
Moro  situation.  The  social  end  of  our  aggregation 
explored  the  native  villages  beyond  the  walls  and 
bought  bolos,  sarongs,  old  brass,  mats,  etc.,  the 
strong  demand  sending  prices  skyward.  Later  in  the 
day  our  army  friends  dined  with  us  on  the  transport, 
music  being  furnished  by  the  garrison  band.  After 
dinner,  as  we  sat  about  the  deck.  Judge  Taft  was 
handed  a  cablegram  announcing  Agulnaldo's  capture, 
and  that  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Manila.  As  the 
information  flashed  round  the  circle  one  could  feel 
the  thrill  of  it.  The  long-wished  for  had  happened 
and  to  all  came  the  thought:    "The  end  is  here, 

[194] 


Moro   SjAiris,    Cotabato,    Miiulaiiao 


Moro  Dancing  Girls,  Cotabato,  Mindanao 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

peace  is  at  hand."  The  band  struck  up  "  The  Star 
Spangled  Banner,"  and  everyone  was  on  his  feet. 
It  was  one  of  those  rare  moments  which  one  instinc- 
tively felt  marked  the  crisis  of  great  events.  At 
midnight  we  left  for  Isabela,  Island  of  Basilan. 


April  J,  IQOI. 

Today  was  spent  at  sea  en  route  Cotabato  to 
Davao.  In  the  interim  since  leaving  Jolo  we  have 
visited  Isabela  de  Basilan,  have  spent  two  days  in 
Zamboanga,  and  taken  part  in  a  jamboree  of  exciting 
incidents  at  Cotabato. 

Basilan  was  formerly  a  Spanish  naval  station  and 
is  now  garrisoned  by  a  detachment  of  our  marines. 
We  stopped  there  but  a  few  hours,  the  Commission 
interviewing  the  officer  in  charge  and  some  of  the 
leading  citizens,  the  latter  asking  for  a  municipal 
government.  Their  petition  was  denied,  the  place 
being  too  small  and  poor  to  stand  the  strain. 

We  found  Zamboanga  a  charming  place.  It  is 
the  military  headquarters  of  Mindanao,  General 
Kobbe  being  in  command.  Aside  from  the  Moro 
population  there  is  quite  a  large  Filipino  element, 
whom  we  met  in  public  session.  It  was  soon  evident 
they  are  not  now  able  to  support  a  regular  provincial 
government.  Disease  among  their  live  stock  has  left 
but  thirty  carabao  in  the  province,  most  of  the  land 
having  remained  unfilled  for  two  years.  It  was  sug- 
gested that  the  present  province  be  erected  into  a 
municipality,  which  would  prove  less  costly  and  still 
give  the  people  a  voice  in  public  affairs,    The  scheme 

[195] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

was  taken  under  advisement  by  the  Commission. 
Interviews  were  had  with  General  Kobbe  and  other 
officers  of  the  post;  also  with  Datto  Mandi,  who 
controls  the  Moro  contingent.  Quite  a  mass  of 
information  was  gathered  concerning  conditions 
throughout  Mindanao  bearing  on  the  tribal  customs, 
laws,  and  religion  of  the  inhabitants. 

On  the  last  afternoon  of  our  stay  Dr.  Atkinson, 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  a  small  company  of 
us  made  a  trip  by  launch  to  San  Ramon,  twelve  miles 
up  the  coast,  where  they  have  what  is  termed  a 
"  Model  Farm."  It  was  formerly  used  as  a  penal 
colony  and  is  now  in  charge  of  an  army  major.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  of  our  run  we  were  scarcely  a  hundred 
yards  from  shore  and  were  furnished  a  kaleidoscopic 
panorama  of  the  beautiful  in  tropical  landscape.  We 
spent  some  time  on  the  farm,  seeing  hemp,  cocoa- 
nuts,  pineapples,  cane,  etc.,  in  their  native  state.  We 
started  back  just  before  dusk,  and  the  two  hours' 
ride  through  the  twilight  and  the  moonlight  was 
enchanting. 

We  anchored  off  the  river  leading  to  Cotabato 
early  the  afternoon  of  the  first.  Major  McMahon, 
in  command,  came  aboard  in  the  evening,  accom- 
panied by  Dattos  Piang  and  Ali,  and  their  attendants. 
Piang  is  a  Chinese  Mestizo,  said  to  be  the  most 
powerful  Datto  in  all  Mindanao,  having  won  his 
place  through  superior  intelligence  and  cunning.  The 
Chinese  are  the  great  middlemen  and  merchants  of 
the  Philippines,  and  we  find  them  everywhere.  They 
have  a  genius  for  trade  and  are  disliked  by  the  Fill- 

[196] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

pinos  accordingly.  The  Dattos  were  shown  about 
the  ship  and  were  as  interested  as  children  in  the 
electric  lights  and  fans,  the  ice  plant,  shower  baths, 
machinery,  etc.  When  given  a  piece  of  ice  to  hold 
—  the  first  they  had  ever  felt  —  their  expressions 
were  a  study.  As  we  watched  them  it  was  rather 
difficult  to  imagine  they  held  undisputed  sway  over 
many  villages  and  were  the  arbiters  of  life  and  death 
to  thousands  of  followers. 

Cotabato  is  situated  seven  miles  up  the  Rio  Grande 
de  Mindanao,  one  of  the  largest  streams  of  the 
archipelago.  We  journeyed  up  the  river  in  the  early 
morning  and  were  given  a  glimpse  of  Nature 
primeval.  The  banks  were  lined  with  rank  jungle 
growth,  amid  which  troops  of  wild  monkeys  swung 
and  screamed  as  our  launch  disturbed  their  solitude. 
At  the  Cotabato  landing  we  were  greeted  by  as 
heterogeneous  a  crowd  as  imagination  can  conceive. 
Three  companies  of  soldiers  were  in  line,  as  also  the 
"  Moro  guard,"  and  a  company  of  native  police 
decked  out  in  all  the  panoply  of  pagan  pride.  Ad- 
vised of  the  coming  of  the  Commission,  all  the  up- 
river  Dattos  and  their  following  had  donned  their 
bravest  and  come  to  town.  Never  before  in  all  like- 
lihood has  there  been  such  a  gathering  of  Dattos  at 
one  point. 

It  being  the  present  policy  of  our  authorities  to 
occupy  merely  the  role  of  counselors  and  arbitrators 
in  Moro  affairs,  no  effort  was  made  to  establish  local 
government.  The  Moros,  although  primitive  in 
many   ways,   seem   to   work   out   substantial   justice 

[197] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

among  themselves.  Their  Dattos,  notwithstanding 
their  almost  absolute  power,  live  very  near  the  people 
and  there  prevails  much  of  the  democracy  of  a 
patriarchal  government.  If  a  Datto  abuses  his 
powers  his  followers  are  apt  to  transfer  their 
allegiance  to  some  other  leader.  Of  course,  the 
value  placed  upon  human  life  is  less  than  we  give  it, 
but  not  less  than  our  forebears  gave  it  not  so  very 
long  ago.  Their  religion  permits  a  plurality  of 
wives,  but  the  practice  seems  confined  largely  to 
those  who  can  afford  the  luxury.  Slavery  as  it  exists 
among  them  has  none  of  the  inequalities  of  station 
which  rendered  it  obnoxious  in  our  country.  Slaves 
and  master  live  together  on  terms  of  familiarity  if 
not  equality,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  if 
liberated  tomorrow  most  of  them  would  not  change 
their  present  status. 

Most  of  the  day  was  spent  in  receiving  and  hear- 
ing delegations  of  various  kinds  —  Chinamen,  Fili- 
pinos, Spaniards,  and  Moros.  The  interviews  were 
reported  verbatim,  we  of  the  pencil  working  in 
relays,  thus  giving  each  an  opportunity  to  browse 
about  and  enter  the  lists  as  purchasers  of  Moro 
weapons,  sarongs,  and  other  curios.  The  Sumner 
is  gradually  being  transformed  into  an  arsenal  or  an 
Oriental  bazaar.  I  reported  the  Chinese  interview, 
then  having  a  respite  until  after  tiffin,  when  I  had  a 
collection  of  Dattos.  They  were  a  choice  assortment. 
It  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  do  reporting  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  Montreal,  and  from  New  York  to  Manila, 
some  of  it  spectacular  enough,  but  the  experience  to- 

[198] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

day  surpassed  them  all.  Sitting  in  a  semi-circle  about 
the  Commission  were  at  least  a  dozen  Dattos,  all 
dressed  in  rich,  multi-colored  garments,  most  of  them 
wearing  decorations  and  medals  presented  by  former 
governors  to  win  their  favor.  All  were  barefooted, 
for  it  seems  a  peculiarity  of  primitive  people  to  dress 
from  the  top  downward,  a  straw  hat  frequently  con- 
stituting a  full  costume.  Each  Datto  had  his  per- 
sonal attendants,  who  acted  as  bodyguard,  and  who 
also  carried  the  brass  betel-nut  box,  which  seems  an 
indispensable  part  of  each  outfit.  Some  of  them  also 
carried  large,  colored  umbrellas  to  shield  their  lord 
and  master  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Without 
exception  they  were  armed  with  the  Moro  kris,  a 
long,  wavy,  murderous  weapon,  something  after  the 
pattern  of  a  bread  knife.  Many  of  these  knives 
were  quite  ornamental,  with  handles  of  gold,  silver, 
and  finely  carved  ivory  and  ebony.  The  Dattos  were 
questioned  concerning  their  government  and  whether 
they  had  any  complaints  to  make  against  our  authori- 
ties. Two  interpreters  were  used,  one  putting  Moro 
into  Spanish  and  the  other  Spanish  into  English. 
There  were  no  complaints,  all  the  Dattos  stating  that 
since  American  occupation  there  has  been  a  condition 
of  peace  never  known  before.  As  we  have  made  no 
effort  to  implant  our  religious  views  among  them  — 
which  was  Spain's  great  source  of  trouble  —  they 
labor  under  the  impression  that  we  have  no  belief, 
and  are  favorably  disposed  in  consequence.  It  seems, 
though,  that  in  the  interim  between  the  departure 
of  the  Spaniards  and  our  coming,  things  ran  a  lively 

[199] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

course.  One  old  Datto,  Bakki  by  name,  complained 
of  Dattos  Piang  and  AH,  declaring  they  had  stolen 
seventy-three  of  his  carabaos,  had  devastated  his 
fields,  and  taken  his  palay,  had  killed  his  nephew  and 
cousin,  and  had  carried  off  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  of  his  people.  As  old  Bakki's  much  interpreted 
tale  of  wrong  and  outrage  ran  its  dramatic  course  I 
wished  again  that  our  humane  and  highly  ethical 
*' anti-imperialists"  in  the  States  could  have  been 
with  us.  They  would  have  appreciated  better  then 
perhaps  the  distance  which  separates  these  people 
from  Bunker  Hill,  and  have  realized  that  our  pres- 
ence alone  prevents  constant  turmoil  with  its  toll  of 
human  life  and  suffering.  The  Commission  assured 
old  Bakki  that  the  matter  would  be  investigated  and 
restitution  made  him  if  possible. 

Following  our  indoor  meet  we  were  treated  to  a 
series  of  dances  and  native  sports  beneath  the  great 
trees  which  shadowed  the  plaza  square.  The  first 
number  was  by  two  little  girls  —  princesses  it  was 
said  —  who  went  through  a  series  of  motions  with 
arms  and  body  to  some  weird  native  music,  their 
faces  remaining  perfectly  expressionless.  We  then 
had  a  combat  with  shield  and  bolo  between  Moros 
dressed  in  queer  chain  armor,  reminding  of  some 
ancient  gladitorial  show.  After  them  five  women  of 
a  tribe  known  as  Tirurays  gave  us  a  dance  to  the 
music  of  a  bamboo  band.  They  wore  brass  bracelets 
reaching  the  elbow  and  brass  rings  on  their  legs 
reaching  to  the  knee.  One  wondered  how  they  could 
move  so  freely,  weighted  as  they  were.     There  was 

[  200] 


>  '#i^-^ 


^^ 


<  T 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

also  a  mimic  battle  with  fifteen  natives  to  a  side,  one 
faction  armed  with  shields  and  long  knives  known 
as  campilans,  the  other  with  shields  and  spears. 
They  hurled  defiance  at  each  other  in  set  speeches, 
brandishing  their  arms  and  uttering  strange  war 
cries,  finally  clashing  in  combat.  Here,  as  in  Jolo, 
the  setting  of  the  program  was  possibly  more  inter- 
esting than  the  games  themselves.  The  color,  the 
life,  the  strange  costumes  and  faces  made  us  wonder 
if  it  was  all  real.  I  doubt  If  any  drop  curtain  ever 
shut  off  a  more  fanciful  and  picturesque  scene  than 
that  which  fronted  us  at  the  landing  as  our  launch 
drew  away  on  Its  return  trip  to  the  Sumner.  It  was 
the  spectacular  run  riot  and  beyond  all  the  skill  of 
the  cleverest  stage  manager. 


April  4,  igoi. 
We  passed  yesterday  at  sea,  our  course  taking  us 
around  the  southeastern  peninsula  of  Mindanao  and 
within  five  degrees  of  the  equator.  Today  we  visited 
Davao,  one  of  the  most  isolated  of  our  army  posts. 
The  place  has  no  cable  and  mall  reaches  there  but 
once  a  month.  The  population  Is  mostly  pagan, 
known  as  Bagobos,  a  quiet,  timid  looking  people, 
easily  imposed  upon  by  their  more  virile  neighbors. 
Their  costumes  are  particularly  attractive,  being  of 
bright  colored  cloth  covered  with  fine  bead  work. 
To  the  curio  hunter  Davao  offered  the  richest  field 
yet  encountered,  and  scarcely  was  our  first  reception 
over  when  the  orderly  scene  became  transformed 
into  a  struggling  exchange.     At  the  suggestion  of 

[20I] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Commissioner  Dean  C.  Worcester,  who  is  taking  a 
series  of  photographs,  and  who  feared  the  natives 
would  be  despoiled  of  their  fine  gear  before  he  got 
into  action,  Judge  Taft  asked  that  the  buying  cease 
until  afternoon.  There  was  some  murmuring  at  this, 
but  the  bargaining  appreciably  slackened.  Here,  as 
elsewhere,  interviews  were  held  with  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people  and  further  data  added  to  our 
fast  increasing  and  miscellaneous  store.  In  the  after- 
noon we  were  furnished  another  program  of  native 
sports,  photographs  were  duly  taken,  and  the  inter- 
rupted marketing  resumed.  Before  we  returned  to 
the  boat  those  natives  looked  like  a  lot  of  plucked 
birds,  many  of  them  selling  the  clothes  off  their 
backs.  As  the  demand  ran  up  the  price,  no  injustice 
was  done. 


April  6,  igoi. 
This  morning  we  anchored  in  the  beautiful  Bay  of 
Surigao,  on  the  northern  point  of  Mindanao.  We 
have  bid  adieu  to  our  Moro  and  pagan  brothers  and 
are  again  in  the  land  of  iglesias  and  convetitos,  with 
their  somewhat  diluted  Christianity.  Once  more  we 
take  up  the  tale  of  the  Municipal  Code  and  Pro- 
vincial Government  Act,  and  "by  open  speech  and 
simple,  an  hundred  times  made  plain,  seek  out  an- 
other's profit  and  work  another's  gain."  Yesterday 
our  boat  left  the  island  seas  and  caught  for  a  time 
the  long  swell  of  the  Pacific,  whose  blue  surges,  far 
to  the  eastward,  beat  upon  the  distant  shores  of 
liomc.  At  night  a  brilliant  moon  paled  by  its  splendor 

[  202  ] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

the  glow  of  the  southern  cross,  which  here  rides  high 
above  the  horizon. 

Through  some  "crossing  of  the  wires"  the  com- 
manding officer  at  Surigao  was  without  advice  of  our 
coming,  his  only  notice  being  an  item  in  a  Manila 
paper.  Based  on  this  he  gathered  together  a  few 
municipal  officers,  though  five  presidents  are  in  jail 
charged  with  furnishing  supplies  to  the  insurgents. 
The  morning  was  showery  and  it  was  eleven  before 
we  went  ashore.  We  found  the  transportation  lim- 
ited to  four  quiles  and  one  carromata,  which  were 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  ladies.  The  rest  of  us 
walked,  the  place  of  meeting  being  over  half  a  mile 
distant.  A  short  session  was  held,  which  developed 
that  the  province  had  sufficient  population  and  re- 
sources to  warrant  a  provincial  government.  The 
rain  came  down  in  torrents  as  we  started  for  the 
landing,  and  the  procession  that  filed  down  "  Bates 
Avenue  "  was  doubtless  a  novel  spectacle  to  the  occu- 
pants of  the  nipa  mansions  en  route.  Tonight  we 
reveled  in  more  moonlight  and  more  islands. 


MisAMis,  April  7,  igoi. 
Today  we  did  our  duty  by  the  Province  of 
Misamis,  and  a  most  exciting  time  we  have  had  of 
it.  The  capital,  Cagayan,  is  two  and  a  half  miles 
inland,  reached  by  road  and  river.  The  Commission 
and  a  few  of  us  drove  over  in  the  morning  In  army 
ambulances,  the  others  coming  up  the  river  by  launch 
in  the  afternoon.     At  military  headquarters  I  ran 

[203] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

across  an  old  acquaintance,  Dave  Dodge,  now  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Fortieth  Infantry.  Ten  years  ago  we 
were  fellow  clerks  in  the  general  offices  of  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  &  Texas  Railway  at  Sedalia,  Missouri, 
and  now  met  by  chance  in  this  far  corner  of  the 
globe.  Among  the  "leading  citizens"  gathered  to 
meet  the  Commission  was  General  Nicholas  Capi- 
strano,  an  insurgent  leader  who  surrendered  some 
two  weeks  ago.  He  took  quite  a  prominent  part  in 
the  meeting  and  seemed  satisfied  that  more  could  be 
accomplished  for  his  people  through  peace  than  war. 
Sessions  were  held  both  morning  and  afternoon  and 
a  provincial  government  promised  the  people.  The 
Filipino  banquet  served  at  noon  was  excellent,  there 
being  less  oil  and  garlic  than  usual. 

Our  return  was  to  be  by  river,  the  ship's  launch 
and  a  cutter  having  come  for  us.  Just  before  six, 
the  hour  for  starting,  it  began  raining.  There  is 
little  objection  to  getting  wet  here,  but  as  the  laundry 
facihties  on  board  are  limited,  this  getting  wet  two 
days  in  succession  was  a  calamity.  Most  of  us 
reached  the  launch  on  time,  somewhat  damp  and 
none  too  good-natured.  There  we  sat  nearly  an 
hour  waiting  for  the  Commissioners.  The  rain  con- 
tinued; night  was  falling,  and  the  navigation  of  the 
river  uncertain.  The  Commission,  it  seems,  was 
detained  by  a  conference  with  some  officers,  but  in 
the  meantime  many  evil  things  were  said  of  them, 
and  the  fair  ones  of  their  households  threatened  dire 
reprisals.  It  was  seven  when  we  started,  the  women 
In  the  launch  and  the  men  in  the  cutter.     We  had 

[204] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

gone  but  a  short  distance  when,  bumpety-bump,  the 
launch  struck  on  a  sunken  pier,  breaking  a  propeller 
blade.      Further  on   we   ran   onto   a   sandbar,   and 
sawed  backward  and  forward  looking  for  the  chan- 
nel.    Finally  some  of  the  ladies  were  transferred  to 
the  already  overcrowded  cutter,  and  the  launch  thus 
lightened  worked  slowly  down  the  river.      It  was 
now  dark  and  the  launch  was  without  lights;  some 
of  the  children  were  crying,  and  the  steam  and  the 
heat  and  the  various  delays  and  accidents  began  get- 
ting on  our  nerves.    Reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
the  officer  in  charge  refused  to  cross  the  bar  until  the 
moon  rose  or  a  light  was  brought  from  the  ship.  We 
lay  to,  therefore,  firing  distress  signals  and  blow- 
ing   the    whistle.       The    rain    continued,     streams 
trickled  down  our  backs  and  we  sat  in  pools  of  it. 
Some  of  the  party  took  off  their  shoes,  ready  for  the 
worst.    Tales  were  told  also  of  crocodiles  who  made 
a  specialty  of  night  attacks.     After  fooling  away 
an  hour  in  this  fashion  the  passage  of  the  bar  was 
attempted  and  negotiated  safely.    Later  we  met  two 
cutters,  fully  manned,  coming  to  our  rescue.     Those 
on  board,  seeing  our  distress  signals,  imagined  we 
were  all  being  drowned.     It  was  after  nine  when 
we  sat  down  to  dinner. 


April  8,  I  go  I. 

When  we  came  on  deck  this  morning  we  were 

lying  off  Dapitan,  our  last  stop  in  Mindanao.     The 

place  has  a  special  interest  in  that  Jose  Rizal,  the 

Filipino  patriot,  lived  here  for  some  three  years  when 

[  205  ] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

exiled  from  Manila.  Of  all  the  men  the  Islands  have 
produced  Rizal  is  probably  the  greatest,  and  his 
memory  is  now  revered  by  the  people.  He  was  born 
to  an  environment,  however,  where  Intellectual 
attainments  and  progressive  Ideas  marked  a  man  for 
destruction,  and  this  though  he  lived  In  the  closing 
days  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Rizal,  author,  sci- 
entist, great  of  heart  and  liberal  of  mind,  was  pub- 
licly shot  on  the  fashionable  driveway  of  Manila  — 
the  Luneta  —  on  December  30,  1896.  Whatever 
reason  may  then  have  been  assigned  for  his  execu- 
tion, history  will  record  that  he  died  because  In  his 
life  and  In  his  writings  he  antagonized  the  religious 
orders  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

We  found  the  province  or  district  of  Dapltan  too 
small  to  support  an  independent  government.  The 
people  upon  being  given  a  choice  of  annexation  to 
MIsamis  or  forming  part  of  the  Department  of 
Mindanao,  chose  the  latter.  At  one-thirty,  ahead 
of  schedule,  we  left  for  Dumaguete,  Island  of 
Negros,  which  we  reached  late  this  evening.  Cable- 
grams were  received  here  announcing  the  capture  of 
the  Insurgent  leader  Geronimo,  and  the  surrender 
of  most  of  the  insurgent  troops  In  Luzon.  The  pre- 
diction of  the  Commission  last  August  that  the  elec- 
tion of  McKInley  would  speedily  end  the  insurrection 
is  being  amply  verified. 


Jpril  g,   igoi. 
The  reception  at  Dumaguete  compared  favorably 
with  any  yet  given.     Negros  Is  one  of  the  richest 

[206] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

islands  in  the  archipelago  and,  not  having  joined  the 
insurrection,  has  escaped  much  of  the  devastation 
wrought  elsewhere.  We  landed  upon  a  large  cov- 
ered bamboo  raft,  and  were  welcomed  by  an  im- 
mense crowd  of  people.  There  were  seven  bands, 
each  endeavoring  to  outplay  the  other.  Two  or 
three  triumphal  arches  graced  the  landing,  and  the 
entire  distance  from  the  wharf  to  the  session  hall, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  was  shaded  by  a  canopy 
of  cloth  strung  upon  a  frame  of  bamboo.  This  is 
the  most  ambitious  effort  yet  encountered  to  do  hom- 
age to  the  Commission.  Here,  as  in  Western 
Negros,  the  people  requested  that  their  present  form 
of  government  be  changed  and  the  regular  pro- 
vincial act  applied.  An  elaborate  spread  followed 
the  morning  session,  when  the  ladies  returned  to  the 
boat.  In  the  afternoon  a  resolution  was  adopted 
by  the  Commission  promising  to  apply  the  provincial 
act  and  devising  a  scheme  for  dividing  the  money 
on  hand.  We  planned  to  sail  at  seven,  but  a  banquet 
and  ball  having  been  arranged  we  remained  on  con- 
dition we  could  leave  not  later  than  eleven.  Only 
five  of  the  ladies  appeared  in  the  evening,  the  others 
having  given  out.  Within  the  past  four  days  we 
have  visited  Surigao,  Cagayan,  Dapitan,  and 
Dumaguete,  and  are  due  in  Iloilo  tomorrow.  It  is  a 
pretty  stiff  pace  to  hold.  While  my  letters  dwell 
largely  on  the  lighter  side  of  our  trip,  there  are  also 
long  weary  hours  spent  in  small,  poorly-ventilated 
rooms,  crowded  to  suffocation,  threshing  over  and 
over  the  provincial  law  and  the  various  problems 

[  207  ] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

now  agitating  this  people.  Neither  is  there  rest  on 
shipboard ;  mail  and  telegrams  pour  in,  and  the  Com- 
mission is  in  executive  session  most  of  the  time.  It 
is  all  enormously  interesting,  but  not  restful. 

The  evening's  entertainment  was  delightful,  and 
it  was  with  difficulty  we  got  away  in  time  to  sail  at 
midnight. 


Iloilo,  April  10,  igoi. 

As  we  are  to  remain  in  port  but  two  days,  the 
question  of  laundry  took  precedence  over  questions 
of  government.  Fred  Carpenter  and  I  went  ashore 
on  the  first  craft  available  —  about  three  o'clock  — 
and  our  approach  to  the  dock  was  heralded  by  bands 
and  a  many-voiced  multitude.  We  excused  ourselves 
as  best  we  could  and  told  the  people  that  "  the  big 
show  in  the  main  tent"  would  open  at  four.  We 
then  spent  an  hour  hunting  to  earth  a  lone  Chinese 
laundryman.  The  cocheros  here  speak  little  Span- 
ish, and  the  rest  of  the  population  live  in  a  state  of 
blissful  ignorance  concerning  the  Industries  of  their 
town. 

The  Commission  met  with  the  presidents  and 
representatives  of  the  people  in  the  theater  building. 
Judge  Taft  explained  the  proposed  provincial  law  to 
them,  dwelling  particularly  on  the  land  tax  feature, 
the  scope  and  wisdom  of  which  do  not  appeal  to  the 
landed  class,  whose  property  has  thus  far  been 
largely  exempt  from  assessment.  After  the  meeting 
questions  of  government  gave  way  to  questions  of 

[208] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

banquets  and  bailes.  Adjacent  to  Iloilo  are  the  rival 
towns  of  Molo  and  Jaro,  each  striving  to  outdo  the 
other  in  entertaining  the  Commission.  The  proposed 
program  involved  a  dinner  and  baile  at  Iloilo  the 
first  night,  and  a  luncheon  with  the  "Union  Club" 
next  day;  a  banquet  and  ball  at  Molo  in  the  evening, 
with  Jaro  announced  for  the  third  and  last  night. 
The  only  weak  spot  in  the  plan  was  that  it  over- 
estimated the  staying  qualities  of  the  Commission. 
Judge  Taft  told  the  people  that  while  we  had  no 
fear  now  of  Filipino  bullets  or  bolos,  we  did  feel 
our  lives  endangered  by  Filipino  hospitality.  It  was 
finally  agreed  to  attend  the  banquet  and  ball  that 
evening  and  the  luncheon  next  day;  to  decline  the 
banquet  at  Molo,  but  drive  out  later  to  the  baile;  to 
cut  the  banquet  and  ball  altogether  at  Jaro  and  take 
luncheon  with  them  instead.  The  Jaro  people  ob- 
jected to  this,  but  the  Commission  stood  firm.  To 
attend  three  successive  banquets  and  ba'ilcs  after 
working  and  perspiring  all  day  was  to  invite  disaster. 
The  city  council  of  Iloilo  were  hosts  the  first  eve- 
ning. Carriages  awaited  us  at  the  landing  and  we 
drove  to  the  ball  in  procession.  A  peculiar  custom 
at  these  functions  is  for  a  number  of  cavaliers  to 
stand  at  the  street  door  and  when  a  lady  appears 
offer  an  arm  and  escort  her  to  the  reception  room. 
The  fact  that  she  already  has  an  escort  makes  no 
difference,  the  latter  being  allowed  to  hustle  for 
himself.  Once  having  brought  their  charge  inside 
the  hall,  these  voluntary  escorts  abandon  her  and 
rush  back  to  capture  the  next  prize.     I  have  seen  a 

[209I 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

lady  escorted  in  this  fashion  into  a  large  club  dance, 
and,  when  effectually  separated  from  everyone  she 
knew,  left  entirely  alone. 

The  banquet  hall  that  evening  was  beautifully 
decorated,  the  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation  lend- 
ing itself  to  fine  decorative  effects.  Dinner  was 
much  as  others  described.  The  ball  opened,  as  do 
all  these  dances,  with  the  Rigodon,  a  native  square 
dance,  resembling  our  lancers,  but  more  stately  in 
its  movements.  Any  number  can  dance  at  one  time. 
Judge  Taft,  who  is  an  excellent  dancer,  generally 
leads  with  the  hostess  and  Mrs.  Taft  with  the  host, 
forming  opposite  couples.  The  large  rooms  and 
polished  floors  of  these  houses  lend  themselves  ad- 
mirably to  this  dance.  When  the  set  is  complete 
and  the  little  maidens  with  their  bright,  multi-colored 
skirts  are  gliding  about  in  orderly  confusion,  it 
makes  a  picture  to  delight  the  eye.  It  was  one 
o'clock  when  we  started  for  the  ship,  the  ride  over 
the  water  through  the  night  air  being  a  treat. 


Iloilo,  April  II,  I  go  I. 
This  has  been  a  busy  day.  Public  sessions  were 
held  both  morning  and  afternoon,  the  provincial  law 
adopted,  and  appointments  made.  During  a  discus- 
sion as  to  the  classification  of  the  towns,  one  speaker 
suggested  that  this  be  based  upon  the  culture  of  the 
inhabitants.  A  great  many  original  ideas  of  this 
kind  arc  furnished  by  the  different  speakers.  The 
Commission  appointed  as  Provincial  Governor,  Gen- 

[210] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

era!  Martin  Delgado,  late  leader  of  the  insurgent 
forces  of  Panay.  The  American  press  of  Manila  is 
indulging  in  rather  hysterical  criticism  of  the  Com- 
mission for  appointing  ex-insurgents  to  office.  In 
the  present  case,  however,  as  in  many  others,  such 
appointment  has  secured  an  efficient  officer  and  at  the 
same  time  evidenced  to  the  people  that  the  Commis- 
sion holds  no  rancor  towards  those  who  fought 
against  us  provided  they  now  join  in  restoring 
orderly  government.  Possibly  no  other  one  thing 
better  illustrates  the  difference  between  our  policy 
and  that  of  the  old  regime ;  then  such  offenders  would 
have  been  shot  or  banished;  now  they  are  invited  to 
cooperate  with  us  not  only  as  government  officials 
but  also  in  training  their  people  for  the  very  thing 
they  were  fighting  for;  i.e.,  self-government. 
Whether  their  present  gratitude  for  this  altruism 
upon  our  part  will  continue,  or  whether  amid  the 
wilderness  of  party  strife  and  petty  politics  lying 
before  them  they  will  forget  their  old  servitude, 
remains  to  be  seen. 

We  took  luncheon  at  the  club  as  arranged,  but 
there  is  nothing  in  a  name.  Whether  it  be  called 
lunch  or  dinner,  the  array  of  dishes  and  variety  of 
wines  are  the  same  —  though  some  of  us  have 
learned  by  experience  to  pass  warm  champagne  at 
midday. 

But  eight  of  the  party  responded  for  the  drive  to 
Molo  in  the  evening,  the  others  being  down  and  out. 
Judge  and  Mrs.  Taft,  being  the  "Hamlet"  of  these 
occasions,   had  no   alternative,   while   of  the  other 

[211] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Commissioners,  Worcester  and  Moses  came  to  the 
scratch.  Mrs.  Moses,  Miss  Herron,  and  Miss 
Briggs  showed  up,  and  I  also  joined  the  endurance 
test.  As  we  drove  beneath  the  brilliantly  illuminated 
arches  of  Molo,  and  saw  the  facades  of  the  houses 
all  agleam  with  lights,  we  regretted  the  smallness 
of  our  number.  It  seemed  such  a  poor  recompense 
for  all  the  labor  and  expense  incurred  on  our  ac- 
count. Certainly  the  wealth  and  beauty  of  Molo 
had  gathered  to  meet  us,  and  it  is  the  home  of  many 
of  the  rich  sugar  planters  of  Negros  and  Panay. 
There  were  sehoritas  banked  up  and  down  the  rooms 
like  masses  of  bright-hued  flowers.  Diamonds  and 
pearls  gleamed  in  profusion,  the  surplus  savings  of 
the  community  being  apparently  invested  in  precious 
stones.  Our  ladies  are  frequently  asked  where  are 
their  diamonds  —  it  being  taken  for  granted  they 
must  possess  an  abundance.  I  believe  the  usual  reply 
is  that  they  were  left  in  Manila  for  safe-keeping  — 
though  it  would  take  more  than  a  search  warrant  to 
find  them.  The  embroidery  display  about  the  room 
rivaled  in  richness  the  finest  loot  brought  from  the 
Pekin  campaign.  The  fashions  in  dress  here  never 
change,  thus  permitting  these  wonderful  costumes  to 
be  handed  down  from  mother  to  daughter  without 
any  necessity  for  alteration. 

Despite  the  understanding  that  we  were  not  to 
dine  with  them,  a  spread  had  been  prepared  and  they 
were  awaiting  us.  As  our  mission  is  to  please  at  all 
hazards,  it  was  determined  to  attempt  a  second  din- 
ner.     History   records  many  acts  of  heroism,   but 

[  212  ] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

when  the  list  is  closed  this  eating  of  a  Filipino  dinner 
when  you  are  already  full  should  hold  high  place.  It 
was  midnight  when  we  started  for  the  boat.  All 
agreed  that  had  the  people  of  Jaro  prevailed  on  us 
to  banquet  and  baile  with  them  the  third  night  not  a 
soul  would  have  shown  up. 


April  12,  igoi. 

We  took  lunch  at  Jaro  today  per  schedule  and 
were  given  a  royal  reception.  All  these  places  suf- 
fered severely  during  the  war.  The  insurgents  them- 
selves burned  Iloilo  to  the  ground,  and  Jaro  was 
depopulated  upon  the  approach  of  the  Americans. 
Women  of  wealth  and  refinement  and  tender  chil- 
dren lived  for  a  year  and  more  in  rude  shelters  in 
the  mountains,  a  prey  to  their  fear  of  the  Americans, 
and  a  prey  too  often  to  the  ruthless  among  their  own 
forces.  When  they  returned  many  of  them  found 
their  homes  burned  or  denuded  of  furniture.  As  I 
talked  with  them  of  these  things  —  and  they  are  not 
given  to  complaint — I  wondered  how  they  could 
regard  us  as  favorably  as  they  do.  I  sincerely  believe 
satisfactory  conditions  could  never  be  evolved  here 
by  the  military  alone,  and  in  this  I  do  not  necessarily 
criticise  the  men  in  charge  as  much  as  the  system. 
You  cannot  inspire  confidence  or  affection  with  a 
club.  Under  military  rule  the  Filipinos  would  never 
get  a  just  impression  of  American  institutions  or  of 
our  purposes  toward  them. 

The   sending   of   the   Civil   Commission   to   the 

[213] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

islands  will,  when  the  proper  perspective  is  attained, 
be  chronicled  as  one  of  the  greatest  acts  of  Mc- 
Kinley's  administration.  In  the  face  of  native  an- 
tagonism, and  a  hostile  American  press,  and  handi- 
capped by  a  Military  Governor  who  stated  that  he 
felt  "  deeply  humiliated  "  by  their  presence,  the  Com- 
mission has  steadily  prosecuted  its  work,  ignoring 
many  things  which  might  well  have  exasperated 
them  into  counter-attacks  which  would  have  dis- 
graced our  country.  Gradually,  as  the  nature  of  the 
men  and  their  work  became  known,  and  the  laws 
enacted  by  them  filtered  among  the  people,  the  tem- 
per of  the  masses  has  changed ;  they  are  learning  that 
our  institutions  are  founded  in  justice,  in  humanity, 
and  the  right  of  the  individual  to  the  fullest  measure 
of  liberty  consistent  with  the  good  of  all;  they  are 
learning  to  believe  that  a  nation,  founded  as  ours, 
cannot  enslave  any  people,  but  must  work  to  secure 
for  them  the  same  privileges  and  advantages  that  are 
enjoyed  by  everyone  under  its  flag.  I  believe  a  fair 
future  lies  before  these  islands  provided  Congress 
does  not  clog  the  plans  of  the  administration  by 
unwise  and  foolish  action,  and  provided  the  people 
themselves  are  not  misled  by  selfish  agitators  into 
demanding  more  power  than  they  are  fitted  to 
exercise. 

Tonight  we  leave  for  San  Jose,  Island  of  Panay. 


[214] 


XII 

THE  SOUTHERN  TRIP,   CONTINUED 

U.  S.  Transport  Sumner, 

April  13,  igoi. 
^T^ODAY  was  spent  at  San  Jose  de  Buenavista, 
-^  Province  of  Antique.  We  had  heard  httle  of 
the  place,  and  it  loomed  ahead  of  us  simply  as  a 
point  on  the  map.  To  find  it,  therefore,  one  of  the 
most  scenic  little  spots  yet  visited,  and  to  receive  a 
reception  as  warm  and  spectacular  as  any  encoun- 
tered on  our  trip,  was  a  genuine  surprise.  The  town 
lies  in  the  curve  of  a  wide  bay,  its  coral  beach  fringed 
with  cocoanut  palms  and  backed  by  high  hills.  As 
seen  from  the  ship  in  the  fresh  glow  of  morning  it 
reminded  of  some  village  pictured  by  poets  when 
they  dream  of  Arcadia. 

We  were  met  at  the  pier  by  the  delegates  of  the 
different  pueblos  and  by  the  entire  local  output.  It 
is  a  sight  I  never  tire  of  seeing  —  that  crowd  of 
mixed  peoples,  with  their  alert,  brown  faces,  intent 
upon  missing  no  part  of  the  show.  They  dearly  love 
excitement,  and  while  our  contribution  to  the  pro- 
gram seems  small,  we  are  the  excuse  for  the  per- 
formance and  they  are  happy.  A  broad  road  leads 
from  the  beach  to  the  town;  this  we  traversed  afoot, 

[215] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

forming  a  sort  of  "conquering  hero"  procession. 
As  the  Commissioners  neared  the  first  of  a  series  of 
elaborate  arches,  some  Filipino  maidens,  hidden  in 
the  superstructure,  scattered  a  profusion  of  flowers 
upon  them,  while  a  silver-tongued  orator  voiced  a 
tropical  welcome.  Judge  Taft  responded  In  happy 
vein,  and  the  little  maidens  unloosed  a  number  of 
beribboned  doves  which  fluttered  above  the  crowd 
to  its  unrestrained  delight. 

In  addition  to  their  triumphal  arches,  the  people 
had  constructed  a  Statue  of  Liberty,  patterned  after 
a  picture  of  the  one  on  Bedloe  Island.  It  was  a 
curious  thing,  bearing  a  family  likeness  to  their 
numerous  church  saints.  It  had  a  halo  of  tin  spikes 
about  its  head,  and  a  rigid  arm  held  aloft  something 
more  resembling  a  bolo  than  a  torch.  It  was  really 
a  very  creditable  effort,  however,  and  furnished  a 
happy  text  later  when  the  "transcendental"  nature 
of  our  visit  was  being  dwelt  upon. 

As  we  are  behind  schedule,  the  Commission  con- 
cluded its  business  at  one  session,  which  lasted  from 
nine  till  twelve-thirty.  General  Fullon,  who  operated 
In  this  province,  and  who  surrendered  two  weeks 
ago,  came  up  with  us  on  the  Sinnner  from  Hollo  and 
was  at  the  meeting.  He  Is  a  boyish  looking  fellow, 
more  like  a  student  than  a  military  leader.  An 
elaborate  tiffin  was  served,  but  we  were  obliged  to 
forego  the  banquet  and  bade  arranged  for  the  eve- 
ning. We  returned  to  the  transport  at  five,  accom- 
panied by  all  the  able-bodied  Inhabitants  of  the  town. 
It  was  sunset  when  we  sailed,   and  the   rich  glow 

[216] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

which  painted  the  waters  and  the  hills  left  with  us  a 
memory  of  San  Jose  de  Buenavista  which  did  not 
belie  its  name. 


April  i6,  igoi. 

Today  we  have  been  sailing  the  straits  between 
Cebu  and  Leyte,  giving  us  another  of  those  "breath- 
ing spells,"  for  which  we  are  beginning  to  thank  our 
patron  saint. 

The  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  were  spent  at  Capiz, 
on  the  east  coast  of  Panay.  We  anchored  off  shore 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  fourteenth,  and,  as  mail 
was  expected,  Mr.  Fergusson  and  I  were  commis- 
sioned to  find  it.  The  town  lies  three  miles  up  a 
river,  and  as  our  launch  neared  the  landing  we 
found  the  banks  black  with  people  —  our  approach 
being  mistaken  for  that  of  the  Commission.  After 
interviewing  the  president  and  arranging  a  public 
meeting  for  the  afternoon  we  made  our  escape.  Most 
of  the  party  came  over  after  tiffin,  some  by  river  and 
others  by  road.  Arrangements  had  been  made  to 
lodge  and  care  for  eighty  people,  four  houses  having 
been  emptied  to  make  room  for  the  ladies,  the  men 
being  provided  for  in  the  convento.  We  were  com- 
pelled to  decline  their  hospitality,  however,  tired 
Nature  clamoring  for  the  accustomed  comforts 
aboard  ship. 

The  public  session  was  held  in  the  theater  build- 
ing and  was  particularly  interesting.  At  its  close  a 
Filipino  boy  of  ten  delivered  a  speech  in  English. 
He  had  been  trained  by  one  of  the  soldiers,  and  in 

[217] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

both  accent  and  delivery  did  splendidly.  Judge  Taft 
responded,  complimenting  him  highly.  It  was  dark 
when  we  embarked  for  the  ship,  and  we  were  treated 
to  a  wonderful  display  of  phosphorescence,  the 
waves  as  they  broke  being  tipped  with  fire. 

We  were  ashore  by  nine  next  morning,  and  had  a 
busy  day.  Some  fifteen  of  the  northern  towns 
wanted  a  separate  organization,  their  cause  being 
championed  in  lively  fashion  by  a  Sefior  Mobo.  His 
petition  was  vehemently  contested,  the  different 
speakers  being  given  free  rein  for  their  eloquence. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  request  for  separation  was 
premature,  the  province  having  suffered  heavily 
through  war,  rinderpest,  and  locusts.  As  we  came 
up  the  river  we  saw  the  latter  flying  in  clouds  that 
darkened  the  sun. 

At  tiffin  nearly  a  hundred  people  sat  at  the  table, 
the  affair  passing  off  with  great,  good  humor.  The 
Commission  finished  its  labors  before  six,  appointing 
Jugo  Vidal,  Governor,  and  the  versatile  Mr.  Mobo, 
Secretary.  We  had  planned  returning  to  the  boat  to 
dress  for  the  evening,  but  time  did  not  permit.  The 
day  and  evening  were  hot  and  sultry,  and  everybody 
was  sticky  and  uncomfortable.  We  ate  and  danced, 
however,  and  had  a  good  time.  Once  a  dance 
started  the  musicians  stopped  only  when  the  floor 
was  deserted.  Squatted  on  the  floor,  they  played 
on  and  on  with  a  persistence  and  endurance  truly 
marvelous.  It  was  midnight  when  we  reached  the 
boat,  and  you  can  appreciate  how  we  hailed  with 
delight  the  prospect  of  a  whole  day  at  sea. 

[218] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

April  //,  igoi. 

One  year  ago  today  the  Haticock  sailed  out  from 
San  Francisco  harbor  with  the  Commission  and 
party  aboard.  It  has  been  a  pretty  full  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  days  for  all  of  us;  days  good  to 
have  lived  and  good  to  remember.  We  anticipated 
much  that  time  a  year  ago,  but  I  doubt  if  there  was 
imaged  to  any  of  us  the  variety  and  interest  of  what 
has  actually  transpired.    And  the  end  is  not  yet. 

We  anchored  last  evening  off  Cebu,  which  disputes 
with  Iloilo  the  distinction  of  being  the  second  city 
of  the  archipelago.  We  did  not  go  ashore,  thus  giv- 
ing us  a  full  holiday.  A  number  of  small  vintas 
(boats)  came  out  to  the  transport,  and  as  they 
circled  about  us  the  women  sang  native  songs  to  a 
peculiar  swaying  of  the  body  —  their  reward  being 
the  somewhat  doubtful  privilege  of  diving  for  pen- 
nies. When  the  occupants  of  four  or  five  vintas  — 
men,  women,  and  children  —  made  a  simultaneous 
dive  there  was  a  jumble  of  arms,  legs,  and  bodies 
decidedly  bewildering. 

We  found  conditions  in  Cebu  more  unsatisfactory 
than  in  any  place  visited.  It  is  estimated  there  are 
about  two  hundred  insurgents  in  the  field,  and  these 
are  allowed  to  terrorize  an  island  of  half  a  million, 
practically  all  of  whom  desire  peace.  In  his  talk  to 
the  delegates  Judge  Taft  told  them  it  was  absurd 
for  an  island  of  that  size  to  permit  a  mere  handful  of 
men  to  continue  a  state  of  disorder  which  brought 
nothing  but  evil  in  its  train;  that  when  the  people 
themselves  decided  that  such  a  condition  should  cease 

[219] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

it  would;  that  they  came  before  the  Commission  ask- 
ing a  provincial  government  and  the  right  to  govern 
themselves,  and  yet  permitted  an  insignificant 
minority  to  overrun  them  and  jeopardize  their  best 
interests.  He  said  it  would  be  a  source  of  regret  to 
the  Commission  not  to  grant  them  a  civil  govern- 
ment; that  we  could,  if  necessary,  put  a  force  of  men 
on  the  island  and  sweep  it  from  end  to  end,  but  such 
a  step  would  be  deplored.  He  stated,  in  effect,  that 
it  was  up  to  them. 

That  evening  a  banquet  and  ball  were  given  at  the 
"Filipino  Club."  There  are  a  number  of  gunboats 
in  the  harbor,  the  officers  of  which  attended  the  din- 
ner; these,  with  the  usual  army  officers,  English  and 
Chinese  Consuls,  the  Commission  and  staff,  and  the 
Filipino  gente  fina,  made  quite  a  cosmopolitan  show- 
ing. The  banquet  was  one  of  the  most  pretentious 
affairs  we  have  been  up  against.  To  give  you  an 
idea  of  it  I  copy  the  menu,  which  was  in  words  and 
figures  following,  to-wit: 


BILL  OF  FARE 

I 

Oyster  soup 

1 1    Beefsteak 

2 

Roast  turkey 

12   Pork  chop 

3 

Roast  beef 

13  Veal  cutlet 

4 

Roast  pork 

14  Fried  chicken 

5 

Boiled  tongue 

15   Roast  chicken 

6 

Chicken,  French  style 

16   Chipped  ham 

7 

Oyster  pie 

1 7   Fried  pigeons 

8 

Baked  fish 

18   Cream  pie 

9 

Boiled  ham,  in  jelly 

19  Apple  pie 

lO 

Veal  pot  pie 

20  Peach  pie 

[  220  ] 


^       "    I  C 

'^^ 

'">  ,' 

-3 


o 
> 


o 

o 

n 
35 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 


21 

Pineapple  pie 

28 

Shoe  string  potatoes 

22 

Chocolate  cake 

29 

Sweet  corn 

23 

Raisin  cake 

30 

Stewed  beans 

24 

Jelly  roll  cake 

31 

Asparagus 

25 

Apple  pudding 

32 

Raw  tomatoes 

26 

Minced  potato 

33 

Green  onions 

27 

Fried  potato 

34 

Radishes. 

They  started  at  number  one,  with  the  intention, 
apparently,  of  going  down  the  line.  This  proved 
too  strenuous,  however,  so  along  about  the  middle 
they  began  hurdling,  and  we  finally  finished  without 
calling  an  ambulance.  There  were  two  long  tables, 
seating,  possibly,  one  hundred  guests,  with  a  separate 
table  at  the  end,  where  Judge  and  Mrs.  Taft  and 
the  wife  of  the  president  were  seated.  Their  chairs 
were  at  least  five  feet  apart,  making  conversation 
impossible.  They  simply  sat  there  in  solitary  state, 
contemplating  that  terrible  bill  of  fare.  To  continue 
smiling  under  such  circumstances  must  be  work.  We 
left  at  twelve,  being  accompanied  to  the  wharf  by  a 
mounted  escort,  there  being  some  rumor  of  a  hostile 
demonstration. 


Jpril  iS,  I  go  I. 
This  has  been  another  of  those  days  which  go  to 
make  history.  From  morning  until  night  the  Com- 
mission threshed  over  with  the  people  of  Cebu  the 
question  of  their  preparedness  for  civil  government. 
Finally  —  though  with  many  misgivings  —  the  wish 
of  the  people  was  gratified  and  a  government  organ- 

[221] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ized.  Don  Julio  Llorente,  one  of  the  Supreme  Court 
Judges  at  Manila,  but  a  native  of  Cebu,  was  ap- 
pointed Governor,  which  pleased  the  people  greatly. 
Chief  Justice  Arellano,  who  had  returned  to  Manila 
from  Iloilo,  rejoined  us  here.  He  came  to  submit 
to  the  Commission  the  draft  of  a  proposed  procla- 
mation prepared  by  Aguinaldo.  To  Arellano  belongs 
largely  the  credit  of  influencing  Aguinaldo  to  take 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  his  return  to  Manila  being 
almost  coincident  with  Aguinaldo's  capture.  The 
latter  had  been  so  long  in  the  hosque  that  he  was 
completely  out  of  touch  with  events.  His  first  inquiry 
upon  reaching  Manila  was  for  Mabini  —  who  is  now 
in  Guam  —  and  his  next  for  Arellano.  Arellano 
spent  several  days  with  him,  explaining  the  real  situ- 
ation and  telling  of  the  plans  of  our  government  on 
behalf  of  the  Filipino  people.  One  by  one  he  went 
over  the  laws  enacted  by  the  Commission  since  its 
coming,  and  particularly  the  Municipal  and  Pro- 
vincial laws  and  the  school  bill.  When  the  full 
import  of  these  dawned  upon  Aguinaldo,  and  he 
became  convinced  not  only  that  our  purposes  were 
altruistic,  but  that  the  great  majority  of  his  people 
wanted  peace,  he  succumbed,  and  the  oath  was 
administered  him  by  Arellano.  He  then  drafted  his 
proclamation,  a  copy  of  which  I  enclose  herewith: 

To  the  Filipino  people: 

I  believe  that  I  am  not  In  error  In  presuming  that 
the  unhappy  fate  to  which  my  adverse  fortune  has 
led  mc  is  not  a  surprise  to  those  who  have  been 
familiar  day  by  day  with  the  progress  of  the  war. 

[  222  ] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

The  lessons  thus  taught,  the  full  meaning  of  which 
has  but  recently  come  to  my  knowledge,  suggest  to 
me  with  irresistible  force  that  the  complete  termina- 
tion of  hostilities  and  a  lasting  peace  are  not  only 
desirable,  but  absolutely  essential  to  the  welfare  of 
the  Philippines. 

The  Filipinos  have  never  been  dismayed  by  their 
weakness,  nor  have  they  faltered  in  following  the 
path  pointed  out  by  their  fortitude  and  courage. 
The  time  has  come,  however,  in  which  they  find 
their  advance  along  this  path  impeded  by  an  Irre- 
sistible force  —  a  force  which,  while  It  restrains 
them,  yet  enlightens  the  mind  and  opens  another 
course  by  presenting  to  them  the  cause  of  peace. 
This  cause  has  been  joyfully  embraced  by  a  majority 
of  our  fellow  countrymen,  who  are  already  united 
around  the  glorious  and  sovereign  banner  of  the 
United  States.  In  this  banner  they  repose  their 
trust,  in  the  belief  that  under  its  protection  our 
people  will  attain  all  the  promised  liberties  which 
they  are  even  now  beginning  to  enjoy. 

The  country  has  declared  unmistakably  in  favor 
of  peace:  so  be  It.  Enough  of  blood;  enough  of 
tears  and  desolation.  This  wish  cannot  be  Ignored 
by  the  men  still  in  arms  if  they  are  animated  by  no 
other  desire  than  to  serve  this  noble  people  which 
has  thus  clearly  manifested  its  will.  So  also  do  I 
respect  this  will,  now  that  It  is  known  to  me,  and 
after  mature  deliberation  resolutely  proclaim  to  the 
world  that  I  cannot  refuse  to  heed  the  voice  of  a 
people  longing  for  peace,  nor  the  lamentations  of 
thousands  of  families  yearning  to  see  their  dear  ones 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  liberty  promised  by  the 
generosity  of  the  great  American  nation. 

By  acknowledging  and  accepting  the  sovereignty 
of  the  United  States  throughout  the  entire  Archlpel- 

[223] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ago,  as  I  now  do  without  any  reservation  whatso- 
ever, I  believe  that  I  am  serving  thee,  my  beloved 
country.    May  happiness  be  thine  ! 

Emilio  Aguinaldo. 

It  strikes  me  that  when  this  proclamation  is  pub- 
lished some  of  these  Filipino  "Juntas"  now  living 
on  the  fat  of  the  land  in  Hongkong,  Madrid,  Paris, 
and  other  places,  draining  good  money  from  a  de- 
luded and  impoverished  people,  will  have  to  go  out 
of  business.  It  should  likewise  put  a  quietus  on  some 
of  our  long-range  critics  at  home,  who  pretend  to 
speak  with  authority  on  a  matter  entirely  outside 
their  knowledge. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  Arellano  gave  a  talk 
to  the  people.  Our  sessions  with  them  thus  far  had 
awakened  little  enthusiasm;  they  needed  stirring  up, 
and  there  is  no  man  in  the  islands  better  fitted  to  do 
this  than  Arellano.  I  have  already  referred  to  his 
speeches,  and  the  fire  he  is  able  to  put  into  them. 
This  was  an  occasion  of  a  lifetime  and  he  rose  to  it. 
He  spoke  of  the  fact  that  it  was  on  the  island  of 
Cebu  the  great  Magellan  first  landed,  and  where 
religious  instruction  was  first  given  the  people;  he 
asked  them  if  their  island,  the  first  in  arts  and  indus- 
try, was  to  be  the  last  to  accept  the  blessings  of  peace 
and  prosperity  held  out  by  the  great  American 
nation;  he  referred  to  his  talks  with  Aguinaldo, 
their  leader,  and  his  action  when  the  light  came  to 
him.  He  played  upon  them  with  all  the  skill  of  a 
natural  orator  and  all  the  fervor  that  comes  from 
earnestness  and  a  conviction  of  the  truth  of  his  mes- 

[224] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

sage.  It  was  growing  dark  throughout  the  theater, 
and  when  he  finished,  and,  with  arms  uphfted,  im- 
plored them  in  the  name  of  their  unhappy  country 
to  unite  for  peace,  many  men  in  the  audience  were 
weeping.     He  had  reached  the  people. 

We  were  urged  to  remain  over  for  another  dinner, 
but  we  felt  our  duty  accomplished  and  returned  to 
the  boat.  Our  reception  at  Cebu  was  a  sort  of  con- 
tinuous performance.  The  Commission  did  not  take 
a  step  in  its  streets  but  they  were  preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  squad  of  native  police,  with  an  ever- 
present  band  in  attendance.  I  have  referred  so 
often,  however,  to  this  matter  of  arches  and  bands, 
banquets  and  bailes,  processions  and  receptions,  that 
I  have  no  doubt  they  are  becoming  monotonous  to 
you.  To  us,  however,  they  are  but  the  frame  of  the 
picture. 


April  20,  igoi. 
Tagbilaran,  Island  of  Bohol,  was  the  next  number 
on  our  repertoire.  We  found  conditions  here  even 
more  unsettled  than  in  Cebu,  though  the  people  were 
equally  insistent  that  they  be  granted  provincial  gov- 
ernment. Thirty-one  out  of  the  thirty-four  towns  of 
the  island  were  represented,  and  they  argued  that 
if  civil  rule  was  inaugurated  the  few  hundred  people 
now  in  the  hills  could  be  induced  to  come  in.  It  was 
evident,  however,  that  they  stood  in  fear  of  Pedro 
Sanson,  the  insurgent  leader,  who,  because  of  his 
acts,  had  been  declared  an  outlaw.     They  wished 

[225] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

the  Commission  to  promise  him  a  pardon  should  he 
surrender,  but  this  they  declined  to  do. 

It  is  a  case  again  where  a  few  hundred  men  with 
rifles  and  bolos  are  able  to  terrorize  the  great  mass 
of  the  people  and  thus  retard  the  restoration  of 
peace  and  industry,  so  necessary  to  the  welfare  of 
all.  These  so-called  "  insurgents,"  responsible  for 
such  a  condition,  display  their  patriotism  by  robbing 
and  maltreating  their  own  people  and  thus  intimi- 
dating them  into  furnishing  food  and  supplies.  Their 
"campaigning"  is  reduced  entirely  to  escaping  cap- 
ture by  our  troops  and  to  taking  an  occasional  shot 
from  ambush  when  the  chances  are  all  their  way.  It 
is  no  longer  a  revolution  based  upon  any  conception 
of  liberty  or  public  service,  but  rather  the  dominating 
influence  of  a  few  leaders  able  to  impress  their  will 
upon  an  ignorant  and  lawless  following.  After  go- 
ing into  the  situation  quite  thoroughly,  the  Commis- 
sion decided  to  try  the  experiment  of  extending  civil 
government  to  the  island,  making  the  proviso,  how- 
ever, that  If  lawlessness  continued,  military  rule 
would  be  restored  with  all  its  rigor. 

We  found  Tagbilaran  Itself  a  charming  place.  It 
lies  some  two  miles  up  a  picturesque  strait  which 
separates  Bohol  from  the  small  Island  of  Palacao. 
Our  meeting  were  held  in  a  room  of  the  convento, 
which,  like  most  of  these  old  church  buildings,  has 
a  beautiful  site.  This  one  commands  a  full  sweep 
of  the  strait,  with  green,  wooded  hills  to  either  side 
and  the  blue  ocean  beyond.  As  I  looked  out  over 
the  scene  the  thought  came  to  me  again  of  the  life 

[226] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

those  old  Friars  must  have  led  when  they  were 
lords  and  masters  of  all  this  fair  domain,  for  never 
has  king  or  czar  ruled  with  more  absolute  or  despotic 
power  than  theirs. 

We  partook  of  the  usual  banquet,  but  returned  to 
the  transport  for  the  night.  The  trip  was  made 
by  boat  down  the  strait,  the  officers  fearing  a  pos- 
sible ambush  should  we  return  by  road.  Our  craft 
was  pretty  well  crowded  and  moved  something  like 
a  carabao,  but  it  was  not  unpleasant.  Our  experi- 
ence next  morning,  however,  was  different.  It  began 
raining  immediately  after  we  started  and  the  awn- 
ings of  the  cutter  were  soon  leaking  like  a  sieve.  We 
were  packed  together  like  unto  the  proverbial  sar- 
dines, and  all  got  gloriously  wet.  Quite  a  sea  was 
running  in  the  bay  and  our  little  boat  took  on  con- 
siderable motion.  Boarding  the  ship,  where  we 
caught  the  wash  of  the  waves,  was  a  precarious 
business,  and  was  watched  with  anxiety  by  those  on 
board.  It  was  a  case  of  stepping  from  the  launch 
to  the  gangway  at  the  precise  psychological  moment 
when  the  two  were  on  a  level.  Fortunately,  all  of 
us  negotiated  it  safely,  and  shortly  afterward  were 
under  way  for  Tacloban,  Island  of  Leyte,  which  we 
reach  early  tomorrow. 


April  21,  igoi. 
Today  is  Sunday,  though  there  is  very  little  to 
distinguish  one  day  from  another  on  this  trip.     In 

[227] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

fact,  we  seldom  know  anything  but  the  day  of  the 
month.  There  is  no  observable  difference  in  the 
attitude  of  the  people,  they  being  as  ready  to  hold 
meetings,  or  to  have  banquets  and  bailes,  on  Sunday 
as  any  other  day. 

The  Island  of  Leyte,  while  one  of  the  last  to  join 
the  insurrection,  has  possibly  put  our  troops  to  more 
trouble  than  any  of  the  other  islands.  It  imme- 
diately adjoins  the  Island  of  Samar,  scarcely  a  rifle 
shot  separating  the  two  for  a  distance  of  over 
twenty-five  miles.  This  enables  the  worst  charac- 
ters of  each,  when  hard  pushed,  to  find  refuge  on 
the  other,  making  it  diflficult  to  hunt  them  down.  At 
present  Leyte  is  fairly  pacified  —  Samar  less  so. 

Our  sailing  master.  Captain  Lynam,  is  a  cautious 
old  tar,  and  despite  assurances  of  a  good  channel 
practically  up  to  Tacloban,  persisted  in  anchoring 
some  five  miles  out  and  around  a  point.  As  we  are 
a  bit  ahead  of  schedule,  Mr.  Fergusson  and  I  were 
given  the  launch  to  do  some  scouting.  When  near 
the  town  we  met  General  Hughes,  together  with 
Colonel  Murray  and  Major  Allen  of  the  post,  com- 
ing out  to  meet  us.  We  took  them  aboard  and 
returned  to  the  transport,  sending  word  that  the 
Commission  would  be  ashore  at  2  :30. 

Notwithstanding  Leyte  has  suffered  much  from 
the  twin  evils,  war  and  plague,  neither  time  nor 
expense  have  been  spared  in  the  preparations  for  our 
reception.  The  landing  pier  —  over  one  hundred 
yards  long  —  was  festooned  and  arched  with  palms 
and  bunting  and  a  great  throng  of  people  followed 

[228  1 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

the  carriages  to  the  tribunal.  We  found  the  town 
scrupulously  clean,  our  troops  having  given  the 
people  their  first  lesson  in  good  roads  and  sanita- 
tion. Our  afternoon  session  was  livened  by  an  ad- 
dress of  welcome  by  the  president  of  Polo,  whose 
flowery  Spanish  put  him  into  a  class  apart.  He  spent 
half  his  time  apologizing  for  his  unfitness  for  the 
task  appointed  him,  and  the  other  half  eulogizing 
the  Commission  and  telling  of  the  honor  conferred 
upon  the  island  by  our  presence.  He  had  the  gal- 
leries packed  on  his  "  Vivas,"  and  they  went  off  with 
a  bang.  As  a  freak  he  came  next  to  the  wild-eyed 
orator  of  Tayabas. 

We  had  expected  to  return  aboard  after  the  meet- 
ing, but  ran  foul  of  the  eat-and-dance  proposition  as 
usual.  Our  party  was  small,  and  the  ladies  had  on 
their  "rainy-day"  clothes,  but  as  the  Commission 
was  to  leave  the  next  afternoon,  it  was  decided  to 
stay  over.  After  dinner,  which  consisted  of  the 
usual  fifty-seven  varieties,  we  danced  the  Rigodon, 
had  a  native  dance,  a  waltz  and  a  two-step,  and  then 
broke  away. 

The  ride  to  the  transport  was  made  in  the  launch 
and  cutter  and  we  had  scarcely  left  the  pier  when  it 
began  raining.  The  awnings  were  not  up,  and  we 
had  no  other  protection.  Getting  wet  cuts  little 
figure  in  this  climate,  however,  and  that  five-mile 
ride  through  the  night  in  the  low  easy  cutter,  the 
warm  rain  falling  and  the  water  beneath  so  near  you 
could  trail  your  hand  in  the  phosphorescent  glow, 
was  a  delightful  one. 

[229] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Jpril  22,  igoi. 

Our  schedule  contemplated  going  by  transport 
from  Tacloban  to  Catbalogan,  the  capital  of  Samar, 
the  route  leading  through  the  narrow  strait  separat- 
ing the  two  Islands.  Captain  Lynam,  however,  re- 
fused to  risk  the  Sumner  on  such  a  cruise,  and  It 
was  arranged  to  make  the  round  trip  on  the  Chur- 
ruca,  2L  small  coasting  vessel  chartered  by  the  army. 
There  was  considerable  discussion  as  to  whether  the 
ladles  should  come  along.  Absolutely  nothing  was 
known  of  the  accommodations  at  Catbalogan,  our 
latest  Information  being  that  the  place  was  being 
shot  Into  dally  by  the  Insurgents.  There  was  little 
sleeping  room  on  the  Churruca,  and  we  expected  to 
be  out  two  days.  The  vote,  therefore,  was  against 
the  ladles.  Their  hopes  died  hard,  but  they  were 
somewhat  appeased  by  the  promise  of  Colonel  Mur- 
ray to  take  them  up  the  first  twenty  miles  and  back 
on  the  morrow. 

A  provisional  government  was  organized  for 
Leyte  at  the  morning  session,  and  at  two  o'clock  the 
Commissioners,  the  various  secretaries,  and  four 
newspapermen  boarded  the  Chiirriica  for  the  ride 
up  the  strait  to  Catbalogan.  It  was  a  memorable 
ride.  The  scenery  Is  a  blend  of  the  Thousand 
Islands  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  wonder  of  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan.  For 
a  time  we  would  sail  almost  within  touch  of  either 
bank,  the  hills  rising  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge, 
faced  with  deepest  green ;  then  the  strait  would  widen 
and  small,  green  Islands  would  dot  Its  surface,  with 

[230] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

here  and  there  low-lying  little  coves  with  nipa  houses 
and  minute  patches  of  cultivated  ground;  then  there 
would  be  vistas  between  the  islands  —  other  land 
rising  far  in  the  distance,  capped  by  gray  rain  clouds 
or  blotted  almost  completely  by  showers.  Occasion- 
ally we  would  pass  islands  crowned  by  old,  ruined 
forts,  about  whose  tops  luxuriant  vegetation  flour- 
ished like  great  umbrellas. 

As  we  clustered  about  the  after  deck  of  our  little 
steamer  the  scene  was  one  which  made  real  to  me 
all  I  had  dreamed  or  seen  pictured  of  life  amid  far 
tropic  seas.  Our  party  was  dressed  in  white  or 
khaki,  some  with  helmets  and  others  with  the  light 
straw  hats  of  the  country;  from  the  cane  chairs  and 
white  awnings  to  the  last  article  of  clothing  the  one 
idea  of  coolness  had  been  considered.  Some  smoked, 
some  read  old  magazines  and  papers,  others  talked 
or  slept,  while  near  to  hand  hung  great  bunches  of 
delicious  fruit  tempting  in  their  ripeness.  It  was 
five  hours  in  which  to  be  lazy  and  forget;  in  which 
to  live  in  the  beauty  of  the  scene  about  us,  and  to 
imagine  that  its  peace  and  quiet  enveloped  the  whole 
wide  world;  to  believe  that  back  of  those  hills  there 
were  no  men  who  sought  our  lives,  or  over  whose 
future  destiny  questions  were  presenting  which  taxed 
the  minds  of  our  greatest  statesmen.  We  passed 
out  of  the  strait  in  time  to  see  the  sky  light  up  with 
the  rich  glow  of  evening,  and  to  see  the  blue  water 
and  the  long  stretch  of  palm-clad  coast  reflect  back 
its  glory. 

On  reaching  Catbalogan  we  found  the  place  had 

[231] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

been  fired  into  early  In  the  day,  and  that  conditions 
were  very  unsettled.  Thus  far  no  active  steps  have 
been  taken  to  crush  this  disorderly  element.  There 
are  but  seven  companies  of  soldiers  on  the  Island, 
which  Is  the  third  largest  of  the  group.  These  sol- 
diers seldom  leave  the  garrisoned  towns.  Under 
such  conditions  It  avails  little  that  a  majority  of  the 
people  want  peace,  standing,  as  they  do,  In  mortal 
terror  of  their  own  countrymen.  The  fear  In  which 
they  hold  everything  resembling  a  gun  passes  belief. 
It  Is  said  as  a  truth  that  a  whole  village  can  be  ter- 
rorized and  Its  people  robbed  and  despoiled  by  one 
man  with  a  gun;  It  Is  even  said  that  It  Is  done  without 
a  gun,  the  man  simply  shooting  firecrackers  from 
what  resembles  a  gun  and  then  throwing  rocks 
against  the  houses.  It  Is  doubtful  If  peace  will  come 
here  until  the  place  Is  swept  from  end  to  end.  We 
slept  on  board  the  boat,  cots  and  mattresses  being 
spread  on  deck. 


April  2  J,  I  go  I. 

But  seven  towns  were  represented  at  the  public 
session  this  morning.  Some  of  the  speakers  thought 
the  organization  of  a  provincial  government  might 
help  pacification;  others  felt  the  time  was  not  ripe. 
It  was  the  wish  of  all  that  more  troops  might  be 
sent,  and  this  was  promised.  They  desire  peace,  but 
the  men  in  the  hills,  using  the  war  as  a  pretext,  pre- 
vent it.  One  of  the  speakers,  himself  an  ex-colonel 
of  Insurgents,  stated  that  those  now  out  were  worth- 

[232] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

less  characters  —  men  who  have  never  earned  an 
honest  living  and  had  nothing  to  gain  by  coming  in; 
that  those  of  the  people  who  wanted  peace  could  not 
deal  with  them,  as  their  staying  out  had  nothing  to 
do  with  Filipino  liberty  and  independence.  He  said 
that  if  this  element  was  once  destroyed,  and  the 
people  of  the  village  trusted  with  guns,  they  would 
take  care  of  themselves  thereafter.  I  believe  the 
time  will  shortly  come  when  this  can  be  done. 

Judge  Taft  in  his  talk  stated  that  the  insurrection 
had  collapsed,  and  gave  a  review  of  existing  condi- 
tions in  the  islands.  As  his  summary  shows  clearly 
what  progress  we  are  making,  I  quote  from  my  notes 
as  follows: 

General  Trias,  the  insurgent  general  second  in 
command,  has  surrendered  and  is  now  occupied  in 
sending  his  subordinates  to  secure  the  surrender  of 
other  officers  in  Luzon  and  other  islands.  Gen- 
eral Geronimo,  General  Pablo  Tecson,  and  General 
Simon  Tescon,  the  commanders  in  Zambales  and 
Batan,  have  all  surrendered.  The  leader  of  the 
insurrection.  General  Aguinaldo,  has  been  captured 
and  has  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  issued  a 
proclamation  advising  the  Filipinos  that  their  only 
chance  of  happiness  is  peace  under  American  sov- 
ereignty. The  people  of  the  Archipelago  have 
begun  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  peace.  General  Ful- 
lon,  in  command  of  the  forces  in  Antique,  surren- 
dered, together  with  200  rifles,  some  three  weeks 
ago.  General  Diocno,  commanding  in  Capiz,  was 
wounded  and  captured  and  his  forces  dispersed.  He 
is  now  urging  his  subordinates  to  surrender.  Gen- 
eral  Caplstrano,   commanding  the   forces   in   Min- 

[233] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

danao,  has  surrendered,  together  with  i8o  rifles  and 
80  shotguns.  Nobody  now  remains  out  but  a  few 
ladrones.  General  Delgado  has  been  appointed  by 
the  Commission  civil  governor  of  Iloilo,  and  now, 
instead  of  being  an  insurrecto  general,  is  a  civil  gov- 
ernor under  the  authority  of  the  United  States.  Gen- 
eral Fullon  met  the  Commission  at  Iloilo  and  went 
with  it  to  San  Jose,  where  the  government  of  An- 
tique was  organized.  Other  generals  and  colonels 
have  surrendered  in  Luzon  whose  names  are  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Two  thousand  five  hundred 
rifles  were  captured  or  surrendered  during  the  months 
of  January  and  February  of  this  year,  more  than 
half  of  which  were  surrendered.  Between  the  ist 
of  March  and  the  ist  of  April  4,000  rifles  have  been 
surrendered  or  captured,  the  great  majority  of  which 
were  surrendered.  Having  said  this  much,  it  would 
seem  entirely  reasonable  to  repeat  the  remark  with 
which  I  began  —  that  the  insurrection  has  collapsed. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  great  majority  of 
the  Filipino  people  are  deeply  rejoiced  at  the  fact. 
Three  years  of  war  have  taught  them  that  peace  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  their  prosperity,  and  their 
experience  with  the  efforts  of  the  United  States  to 
bring  about  civil  government  and  prosperity,  short 
as  it  has  been,  has  satisfied  them  that  that  is  the  best 
solution  of  the  problem. 

From  the  number  of  "Generals"  in  the  above  list 
it  might  be  imagined  several  army  corps  had  surren- 
dered. It  should  be  said,  however,  that  as  most  of 
these  generals  were  self-styled,  and  lacked  the 
formality  of  a  commission,  the  list  is  very  elastic. 

It  was  decided,  in  view  of  the  situation  disclosed, 
not  to  establish  a  civil  government  in  Samar  at  this 

[234] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

time.  We  had  planned  remaining  until  tomorrow, 
but  as  our  work  was  finished,  we  started  down  the 
strait  for  Tacloban  after  two,  seeing  again  that  won- 
derful panorama  of  Island,  water,  and  shore.  The 
current  was  with  us  and  we  reached  the  Sumner  in 
time  for  a  late  dinner. 


April  25,  I  go  I. 
We  left  Tacloban  early  yesterday  morning, 
headed  for  Albay,  in  southern  Luzon.  We  had  a 
full  twenty-four  hours  at  sea,  and  though  the  ground 
swell  of  the  Pacific  claimed  Its  victims,  the  day 
proved  one  of  pure  enjoyment  to  most.  When  we 
came  on  deck  this  morning  we  were  steaming  slowly 
down  the  blue  reaches  of  the  Bay  of  Albay.  To 
right  and  left  were  precipitous  headlands,  covered 
with  dense  forest  growth,  while  In  the  far  fore- 
ground, gleaming  white  amid  its  groves  of  bamboo 
and  palm,  lay  the  old  town  of  Legaspl.  Above  all 
these,  however  —  sweeping  upward  from  the  sea 
In  lines  said  to  form  the  most  perfect  mountain  cone 
in  the  world  —  towered  the  great  volcanic  peak  of 
Mayon.  It  is  an  inspiring  and  beautiful  sight,  with 
little  In  Its  present  aspect  to  remind  of  the  grim 
record  of  devastation  and  death  which  marks  Its 
history.  As  late  as  1894  it  buried  a  dozen  villages 
beneath  Its  lava,  and  the  drift  of  Its  ashes  reached 
Manila.  In  1897  it  burst  forth  again,  the  lava  flow 
reaching  the  sea  and  working  widespread  havoc  to 

[235] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

life  and  property.  Today,  with  the  exception  of 
here  and  there  a  brown  streak  marking  the  path  of 
some  molten  river,  it  is  clothed  in  a  mantle  of  green, 
its  top  lost  amid  a  white  bank  of  floating  clouds. 
Occasionally,  as  these  drifted  aside,  we  could  see  a 
broad  cap  of  smoke  rolling  lazily  from  the  crater, 
telling  of  hidden  and  imprisoned  fires  within. 

The  people  of  Albay  are  Bicols,  speaking  a  dis- 
tinct dialect.  Like  most  of  the  provinces  to  the 
south,  the  insurrection  here  was  fanned  and  led  by 
Tagalogs.  The  people  are  apparently  tired  of  it 
and  them,  however,  and  ask  that  every  Tagalog  in 
the  province  be  expelled.  The  town  of  Albay,  the 
former  capital,  was  burned  to  the  ground  by  the 
insurgents  —  the  fate  of  most  of  the  towns  here- 
abouts. In  our  sessions  with  the  peopk  we  found 
that  war  and  rinderpest  had  left  them  sorely 
stricken,  though  they  seem  to  have  a  streak  of 
optimism  in  their  nature  which  buoys  them  up  under 
the  most  trying  circumstances. 


^pril  26,  igoi. 
A  session  at  nine  today  and  a  lunch  at  one  com- 
pleted our  labors  in  Legaspi.  While  the  message 
we  are  delivering  the  people  is  growing  somewhat 
familiar  to  us,  we  find  sufficient  variety  in  local  ques- 
tions and  local  character  to  keep  up  interest.  As 
a  general  thing  our  sessions  wind  up  with  a  speech 
or  speeches  by  some  of  the  Filipinos  accompanying 

[236] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

us.  These  are  always  worth  while,  particularly 
those  of  Dr.  Tavera,  President  of  the  Federal  Party. 
Scarcely  a  day  passes  but  that  he  is  called  upon  to 
give  a  talk,  and  he  invariably  says  the  right  thing 
in  the  right  way.  In  speaking  to  the  people  today, 
he  said  the  Partido  Federal  was  continuing  the  insur- 
rection, but  by  legal  rather  than  by  forcible  means; 
that  they  were  contending  for  the  same  rights  as 
those  set  out  by  the  Malolos  Congress  —  the  liberty 
of  the  individual;  he  pointed  out  to  them  that  inde- 
pendence did  not  mean  liberty;  that  with  indepen- 
dence the  Filipinos  would  simply  change  the  despot- 
ism of  Spain  for  a  domestic  tyranny  as  bad  or  worse ; 
that  they  could  but  follow  the  system  with  which 
they  were  familiar,  and,  being  untrained,  their  mis- 
takes would  be  greater;  that  the  great  American 
nation  would  save  them  from  themselves,  and  pre- 
vent their  furnishing  to  the  world  the  spectacle  of 
the  Central  and  South  American  republics,  which, 
though  independent,  labored  under  a  slavery  worse 
than  that  of  their  former  masters;  he  said  they  had 
lost  nothing;  that  the  sun  pictured  upon  the  Filipino 
flag  was  replaced  by  the  sun  of  liberty  which  now 
shone  over  the  islands;  that  the  colors  of  their  ban- 
ner found  a  counterpart  in  those  of  America,  and 
they  could  look  forward  to  the  day  when  another 
star,  the  star  of  the  Philippines,  would  be  added  to 
those  many  on  that  azure  field  which  represented 
States  "free  but  not  independent."  It  is  hard  to 
estimate  the  good  Dr.  Tavera  has  done  on  this  trip. 
His   speeches   have   interpreted    in   terms   of   local 

[237] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

understanding  the  purposes  of  the  Commission,  and 
his  closer  intimacy  with  the  people  has  rendered 
the  information  he  has  been  able  to  gather  of  tre- 
mendous value  in  the  appointment  of  officers  and 
the  handling  of  local  questions. 

The  Commission  has  also  been  fortunate  in  an- 
other particular,  and  this  not  only  on  its  present 
trip,  but  in  all  its  dealings  with  these  people,  and 
that  is  in  its  Spanish  Secretary  and  interpreter,  Mr. 
A.  W.  Fergusson.  It  is  doubtful  if  he  has  an  equal 
in  this  regard  in  the  world.  As  interpreter  and 
translator  for  the  American  members  of  the  Paris, 
Peace  Commission  his  work  was  of  such  high  char- 
acter that  he  was  officially  designated  by  the  Spanish 
members  of  the  Commission  to  act  for  them  as  well.. 
Large  of  stature,  and  with  a  perfect  command  o£ 
Spanish,  he  has  the  gift  of  vivid  facial  and  bodily 
expression  peculiar  to  races  of  Latin  origin  and 
training,  combined  with  a  truly  marvelous  faculty 
for  moulding  the  thought  of  a  speaker  into  forms  to 
please  and  enlighten.  It  is  a  common  expression 
among  us  that  Fergusson  can  take  the  rudimentary 
ideas  of  some  halting  orator  and  dress  them  out  in 
such  happy  guise  that  their  own  parent  stands  aston- 
ished at  the  offspring  of  his  brain.  This  means  much 
in  dealing  with  a  people  to  whom  the  manner  of 
expression  oftimes  means  much  more  than  what 
is  actually  said.  When  the  record  of  this  trip  is 
written  the  great  work  done  by  Fergusson  and 
Tavera  should  have  its  due  meed  of  well-deserved 
praise. 

[238] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

At  Sea,  April  2g,  igoi. 

We  are  beginning  to  feel  now  that  we  are  destined 
to  organize  provincial  governments  the  rest  of  our 
days.  There  never  seems  to  have  been  a  time  when 
we  were  not  catching  launches,  listening  to  native 
bands,  talking  and  eating  in  over-crowded  halls,  and 
dancing  Rigodons.  Everyone  moves  into  his  ap- 
pointed place  with  a  click,  and  the  wheels  go  round 
rhythmically.  In  truth,  though,  the  strain  is  begin- 
ning to  tell  a  bit.  Today  little  less  than  a  cry  of 
"Fire"  or  "Man  overboard"  could  get  action  out 
of  anyone  aboard.  We  have  possibly  earned  this 
right  to  be  unsociable,  however,  as  it  was  three 
o'clock  this  morning  when  we  returned  to  the  trans- 
port, after  a  strenuous  absence  of  two  days. 

After  quitting  Albay,  the  next  point  billed  was 
Nueva  Caceres,  Province  of  Ambos  Camarines, 
which  lies  twenty-four  miles  inland  on  the  Bicol 
River.  We  anchored  some  ten  miles  off  shore,  our 
old  captain  being  in  a  fever  of  anxiety  lest  he  run 
aground.  He  remarked  that  if  he  got  out  of  the 
next  two  places  safely,  he  would  then  have  only 
"the  ordinary  perils  of  the  sea"  to  contend  with. 
We  had  telegraphed  for  a  boat  to  take  us  up  the 
river  and  found  the  Serranto,  a  double-decked 
launch,  awaiting  us.  We  left  the  Sumner  shortly 
after  midday  and  reached  Nueva  Caceres  about 
five,  the  river  ride  proving  a  treat.  Work  had 
apparently  stopped  in  the  province,  as  most  of  the 
inhabitants  were  at  the  landing  to  meet  us. 

Among  the  banners  displayed  was  one — "  FJvn 

[239] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

la  Comision — fuera  los  Fra'iles"  We  have  found 
this  antagonism  to  the  Friars  quite  general,  and  the 
Commission  is  frequently  asked  whether  they  are 
to  be  returned  to  the  parishes.  The  answer  is  that 
the  matter  rests  entirely  with  the  people;  that  the 
Frailes  would  not  return  unless  requested  and  would 
receive  no  state  support;  that  they  would  have  no 
voice  in  the  government,  and  would  stand  on  exactly 
the  same  footing  as  other  citizens. 

As  we  are  behind  schedule,  we  drove  directly  to 
headquarters,  where  a  meeting  was  held,  it  being 
after  seven  when  we  adjourned.  We  were  distrib- 
uted about  town  wherever  lodgment  could  be  had, 
Mr.  Carpenter  and  I  falling  to  one  Captain  Capps, 
who,  with  a  Portuguese  hemp-buyer,  runs  a  mess  in 
a  small  nipa  house.  A  Filipino  banquet  had  been 
arranged  for  the  evening,  but  we  preferred  the 
simple  fare  provided  by  our  hosts.  There  was  a 
baile  later,  which  we  attended.  For  one  of  the  two- 
steps  I  drew  a  Mestiza  maiden  who  danced  divinely, 
and  when  I  told  her  (the  usual  thing)  that  the  mem- 
ory of  that  dance  would  linger  with  me  through  life, 
it  was  not  altogether  a  lie. 

The  next  day  was  a  long  one.  We  had  planned 
starting  for  the  Sumner  immediately  after  the  morn- 
ing session,  but  discovered  when  too  late  that  to 
cross  the  bar  before  two  o'clock  A.  M.  we  should 
have  left  at  noon.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  this 
could  have  been  done,  as  the  Commission  found  the 
situation  here  considerably  involved.  I  have  had 
occasion  to  refer  several  times  to  the  failure  of  many 

[240] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

of  the  "military"  to  appreciate  that  their  work,  no 
less  than  ours,  has  for  its  object  the  winning  the 
good  will  of  the  Filipinos  and  restoring  civil  rule. 
During  this  trip  the  contrast  between  competent  and 
incompetent  commanders  has  been  brought  home  to 
us  most  forcibly.      In  those  provinces   fortunate  in 
having  commanding  officers  broad  enough  to  realize 
that  martial  law  is  not  the  normal  condition  of  soci- 
ety substantial  progress  has  been  made  in  securing 
native  confidence  and  cooperation.      On   the  other 
hand,  where  such  officers  have  made  no  attempt  to 
get  into  sympathetic  touch  with  the  people,  and  have 
treated  them  as  so  much  cattle  to  be  herded  for  a 
month  or  a  year,  we  have  found  conditions  most  dis- 
couraging.    Ambos  Camarines  is  one  of  the  unfor- 
tunate  provinces.      The   natives,   being   Bicols,   are 
naturally  pacific,  and  with  proper  treatment  much 
could  be  made  of  them.     Instead,  they  have  been 
antagonized  at  every  turn;  promises  have  been  made 
and  never  kept;  their  houses  have  been  taken  at  the 
whim  of  officers  so  desiring,  and  our  soldiery  turned 
loose  upon   the  community  with   little   restraint  or 
discipline.     It  is  a  situation  aggravated  by  the  pres- 
ence of  several   companies  of  colored  troops,   the 
sending  of  which  to  these  islands  Is  a  mistake.     The 
abuses  they  commit  among  a  people  taught  to  suffer 
at  the  hands  of  those  in  authority  had  best  not  be 
described.      The   Filipino   is  peculiarly  sensitive  to 
the  ordinary  courtesies  and  amenities  of  life,   and 
resents  this  subjection  to  the  negro,  whom  he  regards 
as  an  Inferior. 

[241] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

It  developed  that  certain  officers  had  an  ambition 
to  be  appointed  to  provincial  office  under  the  new 
law,  with  the  result  that  factions  among  the  natives 
had  been  fanned  to  the  point  where  It  was  impolitic 
for  the  Commission  to  decide  between  them.  As  its 
appointee  for  Governor  was  only  provisional,  it  took 
what  was  considered  the  least  objectionable  course 
and  appointed  an  American. 

We  had  arranged  to  leave  the  river  landing  at 
nine  o'clock,  but  it  was  nearly  ten  when  we  got  under 
way  for  the  long  ride  to  the  transport.  It  had  been 
a  hot,  hard  day,  and  few  of  us  had  slept  much  the 
night  before.  This  doubtless  prevented  our  appre- 
ciating as  we  should  the  river  trip,  though  a  perfect 
moon,  lighting  up  a  shifting  panorama  of  tropical 
landscape,  did  what  it  could  to  awaken  enthusiasm. 
We  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  at  midnight, 
where  we  anchored  nearly  two  hours  before  attempt- 
ing the  bar.  By  this  time  even  the  most  cheerful 
had  succumbed.  The  night  had  turned  quite  chilly, 
which  added  to  our  discomfort  in  trying  to  get  a 
little  sleep.  We  boarded  the  transport  at  three,  a 
tired,  used-up  crowd. 


SORSOGON,  /Ipril  30,  igoi. 
Today  was  spent  in  Sorsogon.  We  are  two  days 
behind  schedule,  and  the  elaborate  preparations  pre- 
pared by  the  townspeople  had  suffered  from  rain  and 
storm.  They  felt  quite  badly  about  It,  as  also  that 
many  who   had  come   to   meet  us  were  unable   to 

[242] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

remain.  We  found  the  temper  of  the  people  very 
different  from  that  encountered  in  Nueva  Caceres. 
Here  there  is  a  splendid  set  of  officers,  who  have 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  entire  community. 
The  province  is  completely  pacified,  and  it  is  said 
an  American  can  pass  unmolested  through  any  part 
of  it.  Our  reception  was  enthusiastic,  the  only  draw- 
back being  the  place  of  meeting,  which  was  close  and 
hot.  This  has  been  one  of  our  great  difficulties  — 
finding  audience  rooms  sufficiently  large  and  well- 
ventilated  to  meet  our  needs.  In  many  places  the 
public  buildings  have  been  burned,  and  we  have 
held  our  sessions  in  private  houses,  as  was  done 
here.  Today  the  heat  and  the  pace  we  are  going 
proved  too  much  for  me,  and  I  collapsed  in  the 
midst  of  my  reporting.  LeRoy  took  a  shift  at  it 
until  I  was  fanned  back  to  normal  again. 

As  our  good  captain  was  anxious  to  get  away  by 
daylight,  we  were  compelled  to  forego  the  festivities 
prepared  for  the  evening,  much  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  the  people.  While  waiting  for  our  launch  a 
triumphal  car,  bearing  aloft  a  Filipino  maiden  typi- 
fying peace,  was  borne  along  the  shore.  The  maid, 
with  her  flowing  hair  and  rich  robes,  holding  proudly 
on  high  the  flag  of  our  common  country,  made  quite 
an  impression. 


BoAc,  Marinduque,  May  /,  igoi. 
Three  years  ago  today  the  guns  of  Dewey's  fleet 
tolled  the  requiem  of  Spanish  power  in  the  Philip- 

[243] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

pines.  It  was  a  day,  as  Judge  Taft  stated  this  morn- 
ing, pregnant  with  fate  both  for  the  Filipino  people 
and  for  the  United  States,  In  that  day  the  people 
of  these  islands  leaped  from  the  eighteenth  century 
to  the  twentieth,  exchanging  the  sovereignty  of 
Spain,  with  its  mediaeval  institutions,  for  that  of  the 
most  modern  of  the  nations  —  entering  upon  a  career 
measured  only  by  their  capacity  to  absorb  our  civili- 
zation. For  us  it  opened  the  door  to  international 
politics;  it  gave  us  a  broader  part  in  the  play  of 
nations  —  the  drama  whose  stage  is  the  world.  That 
this  will  be  better  for  us,  will  more  widely  develop 
both  the  material  and  mental  resources  of  our  people 
than  the  provincialism  which  would  have  us  mill 
forever  in  the  same  old  groove,  I  sincerely  believe. 

This  is  our  second  visit  to  Marinduque.  In 
March  we  promised  the  people  a  separate  govern- 
ment provided  we  found  the  island  free  from  insur- 
rection on  our  return.  On  going  ashore  today  we 
found  they  had  met  their  contract.  General  Abad, 
the  last  of  the  insurgent  leaders,  surrendered  two 
weeks  ago  and  was  present  at  the  meeting.  I  have 
already  told  what  a  charming  spot  Boac  is,  and  it 
was  almost  like  going  home  to  see  it  again. 

At  the  close  of  our  session  a  farewell  address  was 
delivered  by  Sr.  Nepomuceno,  the  newly  ap- 
pointed Provincial  Secretary,  who  thanked  the  Com- 
mission for  establishing  civil  government  in  Marin- 
duque and  for  its  work  in  looking  to  the  political 
and  material  regeneration  of  the  islands.  He  spoke 
of  the  struggle  of  the  Filipino  people  to  achieve 

[244] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

their  political  rights,  and  rejoiced  that  their  des- 
tinies were  now  linked  with  a  government  founded 
upon  the  equal  rights  of  all.  Judge  Taft's  reply 
states  so  well  our  aim  here,  and  the  conditions  which 
will  measure  our  success,  that  I  quote  therefrom  as 
follows : 

Allusion  was  made  by  the  gentleman  who  has  so 
eloquently  addressed  the  Commission  to  the  great 
Filipino  patriot,  Rizal,  and  his  love  of  liberty.  We 
believe,  and,  I  hope,  believe  justly,  that  under  the 
sovereignty  of  the  United  States  the  Tilipino  people 
can  acquire  all  those  liberties  which  Rizal  prized. 
I  am  reminded  by  one  of  my  colleagues,  and  I  desire 
to  remind  you,  that  today  three  years  ago  was  fought 
the  battle  of  Manila  Bay.  How  pregnant  with  fate 
was  that  victory,  both  for  the  Filipino  people  and 
the  United  States.  Civil  liberty  a  government  can 
offer  to  a  people,  but  whether  such  liberty  results  in 
bringing  happiness  and  prosperity  must  depend  upon 
the  people  themselves.  The  government  can  offer 
public  schools  and  education  to  the  people,  but  the 
people  must  turn  that  education  to  the  betterment 
and  improvement  of  their  own  condition.  You  must 
watch  your  officers,  you  must  have  in  mind  the  public 
weal,  you  must  insist  that  your  officials  serve  only 
the  public  good  and  not  their  personal  gain.  With- 
out making  invidious  comparisons,  the  truth  of  his- 
tory must  be  stated,  that  in  the  three  hundred  years 
of  civilized  rule  in  these  islands  the  standard  of  pub- 
lic honesty  has  not  been  maintained  as  it  should  have 
been.  I  do  not  claim  for  the  Americans  absolute 
honesty.  That  we  have  dishonest  men  among  us 
and  dishonest  public  officials  goes  without  saying, 
but  I  do  say  that  the  standard  of  official  honesty 
which  we  hope  to  introduce  her?  is  high,  and  that 

[245] 


THE   ODYSSEY  OF 

being  introduced  here  it  means  the  beginning  of  a 
prosperous  and  happy  government.  When  you  find 
a  pubhc  official,  whether  he  be  an  American  or  a 
Filipino,  who  is  false  to  his  trust  and  is  lining  his 
pockets  with  the  money  of  the  people,  know  that  he 
is  a  worse  criminal  than  the  man  who  steals  your 
cattle  and  enters  your  house  and  steals  your  goods. 
Pursue  him  as  you  would  a  criminal  and  put  him 
behind  the  prison  bars,  where  he  belongs.  Let  no 
good  nature  growing  out  of  the  traditions  of  a  for- 
mer government  prevent  you  from  regarding  this 
crime  as  it  should  be  regarded.  If  you  find  dishon- 
esty in  an  American  official,  know  that  the  Amer- 
icans who  are  responsible  for  this  government  would 
rather  put  a  dishonest  American  in  prison  than  a 
Filipino  or  a  man  of  any  other  race. 

Shortly  after  seven  we  weighed  anchor  for  Batan- 
gas,  our  last  stop. 


May  2,  igoi. 

Batangas,  the  final  number  on  our  repertoire, 
proved  a  hard  finish.  We  landed  on  an  open  beach, 
and  then  drove  a  mile  and  a  half  through  a  swirling 
cloud  of  dust  —  the  Commissioners  perched  in  an 
open  wagon  like  unto  those  used  for  delivering  gro- 
ceries in  the  States.  Everything  <?;/roM/^  was  parched 
and  burned,  and  we  found  Batangas  itself  in  ruins. 
The  province  is  not  completely  pacified,  and  we  saw 
everywhere  evidences  of  the  destruction  wrought  by 
war. 

Our  meeting  was  held  in  a  wide  corridor  tempo- 
rarily roofed  with  green  stuff,  giving  it  an  appearance 

[246] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

of  coolness  altogether  belied  by  the  thermometer. 
Judge  Taft,  whose  energy  continues  unabated,  ex- 
plained once  more  the  scope  of  the  provincial  and 
municipal  acts,  and  succeeded  in  imparting  some  of 
his  enthusiasm  to  a  rather  undemonstrative  audi- 
ence. An  amusing  feature  of  most  of  our  meetings 
with  these  people  is  their  slowness  to  appreciate  a 
joke  —  particularly  when  sprung  at  a  public  gather- 
ing. A  meeting  with  the  Commission  is  to  them  a 
very  solemn  affair,  and  their  effort  to  apply  literally 
some  of  Judge  Taft's  lighter  sallies  has  been  great. 
One  of  the  speakers  today,  discussing  the  age  limit 
for  tax  purposes,  said  he  thought  it  should  be  fifty- 
five  years,  as  a  man  was  old  at  that  age  and  should 
rest.  As  three  of  the  Commissioners  are  beyond 
this  limit,  Judge  Taft  remarked,  with  his  usual  genial 
smile,  that  this  question  of  age  was  a  rather  sensitive 
one  to  certain  members  of  the  Commission.  The 
speaker  looked  grieved,  and  said  his  statement  did 
not  apply  to  those  who  had  "  lived  well,"  whereupon 
Judge  Taft  surveyed  himself  and  his  heavy-weight 
associates  and  replied  that  it  was  evident  some  of 
them  had  lived  well.  At  this  the  poor  man  collapsed 
utterly. 

Somewhat  of  a  surprise  was  sprung  on  us  by  the 
appointment  of  Sr.  Felix  M.  Roxas  as  Governor. 
Seiior  Roxas  is  a  member  of  our  party  and  my  seat- 
mate  at  table,  having  made  the  entire  trip  as  corre- 
spondent of  La  Democracia,  the  organ  of  the  Par- 
tido  Federal.  He  is  liked  by  everyone,  and  a  better 
choice  could  not  have  been  made.    His  job  will  prove 

[247] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

no  sinecure,  however,  as  there  are  numerous  factions 
in  the  province,  and  its  unsettled  condition  makes  the 
wisdom  of  civil  organization  at  this  time  doubtful. 

We  returned  to  the  boat  to  dress  for  the  regula- 
tion evening  banquet  and  baile.  After  the  hot  day 
and  dusty  ride,  many  of  the  crowd  shied  at  another 
trip  ashore.  Others  nerved  themselves  to  It  by  the 
thought  that  it  was  the  last  call,  and  because  they 
felt  it  was  due  our  companion,  Sr.  Roxas.  The 
banquet  was  served  by  a  Manila  caterer  and  proved 
exceptionally  good.  A  slight  hitch  occurred  at  the 
ball.  It  is  usual  to  open  such  functions  with  the 
*'  Rigodon,"  but  some  of  the  younger  officers,  smit- 
ten by  the  charms  of  certain  of  our  number,  started 
with  a  waltz.  Word  was  passed  by  Dr.  Tavera 
that  the  next  would  be  the  "  Rigodon  "  and  partners 
were  engaged.  When  some  of  these  were  on  the 
floor  one  of  the  officers  directed  the  musicians  to 
play  a  two-step;  they  started  to  do  so,  but  were 
again  stopped  and  told  to  proceed  with  the  Rigodon. 
This  was  again  countermanded  by  the  officer,  and 
the  two-step  proceeded. 


Manila,  May  s,  igoi. 
The  "Southern  Trip"  is  ended.  At  10:30  A.  M. 
we  took  our  last  launch  ride,  making  a  landing  this 
time  at  the  office  of  the  Captain  of  the  Port,  Manila. 
The  crowd  and  the  bands  were  there,  but  they  had 
no  voice  in  prescribing  our  movements  or  preparing 

[248] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

our  meals.  We  scattered  like  a  lot  of  homing 
pigeons,  glad  to  have  shared  in  such  a  journey  and 
yet  glad  to  take  up  our  Manila  life  again. 

Our  experiences  and  impressions  are  still  too  new 
to  be  properly  appraised.  That  such  another  tour 
will  ever  be  made  is  doubtful;  certainly  not  of  this 
magnitude,  or  of  a  character  to  awaken  the  same 
response  from  the  people.  To  us  and  to  them  it 
marks  a  crisis  in  our  occupation  of  the  islands,  giv- 
ing, as  it  does,  permanent  form  to  our  policy  and 
setting  a  measure  upon  the  political  future  of  the 
islands.  How  far  the  spirit  of  the  laws  enacted  by 
us  are  appreciated,  or  the  scope  of  our  purposes  real- 
ized, remains  a  question.  Our  visit,  if  it  has  done 
anything,  should  have  brought  home  to  the  people 
the  democratic  nature  of  our  institutions  and  the 
perfect  frankness,  fairness,  and  freedom  from  cant 
of  those  entrusted  with  authority  in  Philippine 
affairs.  That  they  exaggerate  the  immediate  ben- 
efits of  civil  government  and  the  effect  of  granting 
them  a  participation  therein  is  doubtless  true.  They 
are  too  inclined  to  look  to  public  officials  and  to 
legislative  enactments  for  panaceas  for  every  ill 
than  to  depend  upon  their  own  industry  and  initia- 
tive. Their  present  enthusiasm  at  release  from  mili- 
tary exactions  is  apt  to  suffer  a  reaction  when  they 
find  that  the  problem  of  gaining  a  successful  liveli- 
hood, and  of  adjusting  themselves  to  the  loss  suf- 
fered through  years  of  warfare,  still  remain  to  be 
solved.  They  are  a  volatile  people,  easily  led,  easily 
swayed  by  passing  emotions  and  influences,  and  lack- 

[249] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

ing  that  true  stability  of  character  which  lies  at  the 
base  of  popular  government.  It  is  but  natural  to 
expect  there  will  be  more  or  less  trouble  before  the 
machinery  gets  to  running  smoothly.  As  is  the  case 
with  most  oppressed  peoples,  there  is  danger  that  the 
new  liberties  suddenly  thrust  upon  them  will  be 
abused  rather  than  appreciated  at  their  true  value. 
They  have  a  great  desire  to  learn,  however;  they 
want  schools  and  English  teachers,  and  will  prove 
apt  pupils,  so  far,  at  least,  as  outward  forms  are 
concerned.  Taken  along  broad  lines,  the  impres- 
sions gained  from  our  intimate  association  with  them 
during  the  past  months  have  been  favorable,  and 
the  prospects  for  the  future  are  encouraging. 


[250] 


XIII 

IGOROTE  LAND 

Manila,  May  i6,  igoi. 
^  I  ^HE  days  since  our  return  have  been  busy  ones. 
-*-  A  central  civil  government  is  to  be  installed 
July  first,  and  there  is  much  legislation  to  be  gotten 
through  in  the  meantime.  It  is  hoped  also  to  organ- 
ize the  remaining  provinces  of  Luzon  before  that 
date,  though  I  don't  see  how  it  is  to  be  done.  The 
Commission  is  in  almost  constant  public  or  executive 
session,  with  the  task  of  preparing  proposed  laws 
and  attending  to  a  flood  of  detail  matters  when  it 
can.  The  early  apathy  of  the  public  has  altogether 
disappeared,  and  everybody  is  now  disposed  to  offer 
multitudinous  suggestions  as  to  how  the  government 
should  be  organized  and  run.  As  it  is  the  policy  of 
the  Commission  to  give  every  budding  statesman  a 
try-out,  the  result  is  much  loss  of  time,  with  a  quite 
unsatisfactory  harvest,  though  occasionally  some 
valuable  hint  is  gleaned. 

The  weather  is  hot  again,  reminding  of  those  first 
days  when  we  sweltered  and  doubted.  If  our  pace 
has  told  in  flagging  energy  and  lessened  vitality, 
there  have  been  no  distress  signals.  Our  restless 
activity  is  a  source  of  constant  wonder  to  the  natives. 

[251] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

It  Is  reported  that  two  of  them  who  made  the  south- 
ern trip  with  us  simply  threw  up  their  hands  and 
said  the  FiHpinos  couldn't  fight  a  people  who  worked 
as  we  did.  It  may  be  we  have  "  ofl&ce  hours,"  but 
I  have  forgotten  what  they  are. 


Manila,  June  2,  igoi. 
Our  already  overcharged  atmosphere  is  now  be- 
ing fanned  into  a  state  of  torrid  heat  by  a  discussion 
of  the  proposed  Judiciary  Act  and  appointment  of 
judges.  Believing  the  judiciary  a  critical  point  in 
our  administration,  the  Commission  proposed  mak- 
ing a  somewhat  clean  sweep  of  the  present  person- 
nel and  naming  men  of  tried  standing  from  the 
States.  This  has  driven  the  native  press  into  parox- 
ysms. They  say  the  Filipino  judges  stood  by  the 
American  Government  during  its  time  of  trial,  and 
they  are  now  to  be  ousted  without  any  proof  of  guilt 
or  incompetency;  that  if  they  have  done  wrong,  then 
let  charges  be  brought  against  them.  Our  American 
press,  while  violent  enough  in  its  opposition  to  ap- 
pointing Filipinos,  is  pro-military,  and  condemns  the 
Commission  for  overlooking  the  judicial  merits  of 
various  volunteer  army  officers  whose  commissions 
expire  shortly.  The  American  bar  of  Manila  is  also 
up  in  arms,  and  is  literally  pawing  the  air  because 
the  Commission  has  provided  that  Spanish  shall  con- 
tinue the  official  language  of  the  courts  until  1906. 
They  want  English  substituted  at  once,  even  though 
it  would  result  in  eliminating  practically  every  Fili- 

[252] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

pino  from  the  practice.  Their  attitude  has  the  sup- 
port of  the  American  papers,  and  is  condemned 
utterly  by  the  Spanish-Filipino  press.  In  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  Judiciary  Act  and  Code  of  Procedure, 
Seiior  Calderon,  President  of  the  College  of  Advo- 
cates, together  with  all  the  members  of  that  body, 
remained  away  from  the  public  sessions,  claiming 
they  had  not  been  allowed  sufficient  time  to  study 
the  bills.  For  eight  months  and  more  they  have 
been  invited  to  assist  in  framing  these  acts  (some- 
thing they  have  repeatedly  promised,  but  failed  to 
do),  and  they  now  refuse  to  play  simply  because 
the  Commission  declines  to  further  postpone  dis- 
cussion of  the  bills;  this,  too,  when  other  important 
legislation  is  crowding,  and  the  whole  judicial  m.a- 
chinery  is  paralyzed  pending  the  passage  of  these 
laws. 

From  the  provinces  come  reports  of  friction  be- 
tween the  military  and  the  newly  appointed  civil 
authorities.  Now  that  their  supreme  power  is  cur- 
tailed, some  of  our  army  brethren  have  a  tendency 
to  either  lie  back  and  do  nothing,  or  else  create 
active  difficulties  through  refusing  to  recognize  or 
cooperate  with  the  regular  government  officials. 
Many  of  them  consider  the  organization  of  civil 
government  premature,  and  evidently  harbor  the 
idea  that  In  its  discomfiture  or  failure  there  is  some- 
thing of  credit  to  themselves.  In  Tayabas,  where 
the  Governor  (an  American)  was  building  a  road 
and  lacked  transportation,  a  quartermaster  making 
the  trip  was  asked  to  take  up  some  shovels.     This 

[253] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

patriot  told  him  to  run  his  own  government;  that 
he  wasn't  hauling  tools  for  any  damned  civilian.  In 
Nueva  Caceres,  which  is  staff  headquarters  for  three 
regiments,  not  a  move  has  been  made  against  the 
insurgents  since  the  province  was  organized.  In 
Bataan  the  arrogance  of  the  military  commander 
became  such  that  the  civil  governor  tendered  his 
resignation,  but  was  persuaded  to  withdraw  it. 

It  is  hoped  that  with  the  establishment  of  a  central 
civil  government,  and  the  advent  of  a  new  military 
head,  conditions  will  be  changed.  The  work  is  hard 
enough,  goodness  knows,  with  all  our  people  pulling 
together.  The  Filipinos  are  naturally  suspicious  of 
us,  and  are  hunting  out  every  sign  of  weakness  in 
our  administration.  Talk,  talk,  talk  —  they  seem 
made  of  words.  There  are  a  dozen  newspapers 
here,  and  it  seems  every  Filipino  feels  it  his  duty  to 
enlighten  the  islands  with  his  views.  The  latest 
complaint  is  that  they  are  not  treated  fairly  in  the 
distribution  of  civil  service  positions,  and  that  Amer- 
icans are  paid  higher  salaries  than  they.  No  account 
is  taken  of  the  fact  that  the  cost  of  living  for  Amer- 
icans is  excesssive;  that  they  are  cutting  themselves 
off  from  a  settled  career  at  home,  and  are  likely 
stocking  their  systems  with  an  assortment  of  germs 
which  will  work  havoc  with  them  by  and  by.  The 
serenity  with  which  Judge  Taft  meets  these  accumu- 
lating annoyances  is  a  wonder.  He  simply  smiles 
and  drives  on,  his  personality  radiating  good  will 
and  over-riding  all  obstacles. 

Commissioners  Worcester  and  Moses  start  this 

[254] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

week  on  a  trip  through  the  mountains  of  Northern 
Luzon,  and  LeRoy  and  I  go  with  them.  The  pur- 
pose is  to  examine  progress  on  the  new  Benguet 
road,  and  to  study  the  form  of  government  best 
suited  to  the  so-called  non-Christian  Tribes.  The 
other  Commissioners  plan  leaving  Manila  about  the 
same  time  to  organize  the  coast  provinces  of  Luzon. 
I  was  given  my  choice  of  the  two  expeditions  and 
naturally  chose  the  mountain  one.  There  will  be  no 
"sessions"  to  report,  and  no  banquetes  or  hailes. 
It  will  be  the  sun  and  the  wind  —  earth,  sky,  and 
mountain,  and  a  people  who  live  close  to  the  soil. 
We  go  by  train  to  Dagupan,  where  we  take  horses 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 


Manila,  June  2S,  igoi. 
My  last  was  written  on  the  eve  of  a  pilgrimage 
with  Commissioners  Worcester  and  Moses  into  the 
high  hills  where  dwell  the  head-hunting  Igorotes. 
We  are  back  now,  thanks  to  a  watchful  Providence, 
and  I  fain  would  tell  you  something  of  our  experi- 
ences. They  were  varied  enough,  though  the  grip 
of  it  all  lies  so  much  in  the  actual  encounter  that  I 
fear  my  scant  notes  will  prove  a  poor  substitute. 


Dagupan,  June  6,  igoi. 
Our  train  for  Dagupan  left  at  six  this  morning. 
Why  it  should  start  so  early,  simply  to  wind  itself 
up  in  mid-afternoon,  is  one  of  the  puzzles  of  Philip- 

[255] 


THE    ODYSSEY   OF 

pine  railroad  administration.  We  are  a  party  of 
five,  Dr.  Barrows,  Superintendent  of  Manila 
Schools,  having  joined  us  at  the  last  moment.  He 
and  the  two  Commissioners  took  dinner  and  spent 
the  night  with  General  "  Jakey"  Smith,  LeRoy  and 
I  being  cared  for  by  his  aide,  Lieutenant  Bushfield. 
During  dinner  a  captain,  who  had  taken  more  than 
his  allowance  of  scotch  and  soda,  enlivened  us  with 
reflections  upon  the  Philippine  situation.  His  views 
were  quite  entertaining,  though  his  ultimate  con- 
clusion must  have  been  his  own,  as  it  involved  elimi- 
nating every  Filipino  in  the  islands.  We  bunked  on 
army  cots  and  caught  mosquitoes  most  of  the  night. 


June  7,  igoi. 
We  got  away  shortly  after  seven  this  morning, 
having  added  Dr.  Keller,  of  the  Dagupan  hospital, 
to  our  number,  who  comes  to  patch  us  up  in  case 
of  illness  or  accident.  We  have  a  sergeant  and  four 
men  as  escort,  besides  a  Hospital  Corps  man  and  a 
cook.  Our  supply  train  consists  of  nine  mules  in 
charge  of  three  packers.  We  are  all  mounted  on 
large  American  horses  —  a  somewhat  dubious  ve- 
hicle for  mountain  trails.  Our  start  was  made  In 
the  rain,  giving  color  to  the  stories  told  of  hard 
travel  in  the  interior  at  this  season.  As  we  filed 
out,  enveloped  in  our  ponchos,  we  needed  only 
masks  to  be  taken  for  a  delegation  of  Ku  Klux 
Klan.  What  with  the  mud  and  water,  and  the  black 
grease  off  our  saddles,  we  soon  lost  that  sense  of 

[256] 


F=f;j-  jA' 


a. 


o 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

respectability  which  attaches  to  cleanliness.  Our  ride 
led  through  a  fertile,  level  country,  interspersed  with 
numerous  villages,  the  population  of  which  was  at 
the  windows. 

The  first  stop  was  at  Pozorubio,  eighteen  miles 
out,  in  charge  of  a  young  lieutenant.  He  invited  us 
to  his  quarters,  where  lunch  was  prepared.  We  had 
expected  to  push  forward  to  Mead's  camp  on  the 
new  road,  but  finally  decided  to  lay  over  until  morn- 
ing. The  failure  of  our  pack  train  to  show  up  was 
the  reason  assigned,  but  the  truth  Is  none  of  us  are 
cowboys,  and  a  little  relief  from  those  saddles  was 
welcome.  Our  host,  with  refreshing  naivete,  de- 
plored the  establishment  of  civil  government,  as  it 
prevented  his  commandeering  supplies  from  the  na- 
tives for  our  entertainment. 


June  8,  igoi. 

We  reached  Mead's  camp,  twelve  miles  out,  be- 
fore eleven,  the  last  eight  miles  being  over  the  new 
road  and  in  the  foothills  of  the  mountains.  The 
road  follows  the  Bued  River,  and,  as  we  ascended, 
the  valley  closed  In  until  finally  the  river  came  tum- 
bling down  through  a  narrow  gorge.  Here  the 
course  of  the  road  is  being  blasted  out  of  the  solid 
rock,  causing  delay.  About  seven  hundred  men  are 
employed  on  the  work,  labor  being  difficult  to  secure 
and  of  mighty  poor  quality. 

After  tiffin,  with  Captain  Mead  and  his  assistants, 
we  struck  for  Santo  Tomas,  a  coast  point  further 
to  the  north,  our  road  being  a  mere  trail  through 

[257] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

the  forest.  The  usual  afternoon  rain  fell  In  tor- 
rents, and  we  were  soon  thoroughly  soaked.  For 
a  certain  kind  of  rain,  and  for  a  certain  time,  an 
army  poncho  (rain  cape)  keeps  you  dry,  but  neither 
in  kind  nor  time  was  this  rain  one  of  them.  The 
bridges  en  route  were  simply  bamboo  poles  spread 
on  stringers,  never  intended  for  heavy  American 
horses.  They  gave  us  much  trouble,  Dr.  Barrows 
narrowly  escaping  accident,  while  one  of  the  mules 
fell  through.  We  reached  Santo  Tomas  at  six  o'clock, 
wet,  tired,  and  silent,  having  ridden  about  twenty- 
seven  miles.  There  are  twenty  soldiers  here  in 
charge  of  a  sergeant,  who  turned  his  nipa  house  over 
to  us  and  did  what  he  could  to  help  out.  Our  pack, 
being  delayed  by  the  bridges,  did  not  arrive  until 
late.  In  the  meantime  the  president  of  the  town 
and  the  barrio  chiefs  came  to  pay  their  respects. 
This  began  to  look  a  bit  like  old  times,  though  it 
must  have  taken  considerable  faith  on  their  part, 
accustomed  to  pomp  and  ceremony  in  government 
officials,  to  recognize  as  a  part  of  the  august 
"  Comision  Civil"  the  two  khaki-clad,  soaked  and 
bewhiskered  representatives  of  that  body  present. 
The  head  of  the  Partido  Federal  asked  us  to  dinner, 
which  we  gladly  accepted.  After  dinner  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  house,  who  had  gotten  into  her  starched 
clothes,  played  the  harp  while  some  of  her  friends 
sang  for  us.  The  old  music  master  was  also  requi- 
sitioned, and  he  was  certainly  a  wonder.  His  shirt  was 
outside  his  trousers,  and  he  smoked  a  big  cigar,  but 
his  work  was  that  of  an  artist. 

[258] 


■''■■'•••A-.j.-fc  . 


Arcli  (if  W'lUiimc,  Taclobaii,  Leyte 


Scene   1)11    ihe    Heiiiiuet    Knai 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

We  received  word  tonight  that  the  northern  trip 
of  the  Commission  has  been  postponed  until  July, 
which  may  give  us  a  chance  to  get  in  on  it.  We 
slept  on  the  floor  of  the  nipa,  our  blankets  for  a 
bed.    We  were  too  tired  to  be  critical,  however. 


June  g,  igoi. 

We  breakfasted  from  the  pack  today  on  coffee, 
bacon,  and  bread,  using  our  tin-plate  outfit.  While 
saddling  for  the  start  our  sergeant's  horse  wheeled 
and  kicked  him  in  the  side,  laying  him  out.  He  was 
carried  indoors  and  treated  to  some  stimulant,  which 
soon  brought  him  around. 

Our  ride  today  was  along  the  coast  road  to 
Baoang,  eighteen  miles,  which  we  reached  at  one 
o'clock.  It  was  Sunday,  and  in  all  the  villages 
and  along  the  highroad  the  people  were  out  in  force, 
adding  much  to  the  interest.  We  crossed  several 
little  rivers,  which  seemed  largely  given  over  to 
laundry  purposes.  From  appearances  many  of  the 
people  had  no  change  of  raiment. 

As  some  of  our  horses  had  cast  their  shoes,  we 
decided  to  lay  over  at  Baoang  until  morning.  Nearly 
every  town  in  the  Philippines  has  what  Is  known  as  a 
"Tribunal,"  which  corresponds  to  our  city  hall.  Be- 
sides its  official  use,  it  serves  also  to  lodge  passing 
strangers,  and  was  placed  at  our  disposal.  Most  of 
the  people  were  at  the  cockpit,  but  upon  call  of  the 
president  they  adjourned  in  a  body  to  hear  about 

[259] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

the  blessings  of  free  government.  Mr.  Worcester 
gave  them  a  talk  and  they  went  back  to  their  cock- 
pit utterly  unconscious  of  the  humor  of  adjourning 
a  Sunday  cock  fight  to  listen  to  a  dissertation  on  self- 
government.  Dr.  Keller,  LeRoy,  and  I  recipro- 
cated by  joining  the  throng  at  the  cockpit,  being 
given  reserved  seats  in  the  form  of  a  bench  imme- 
diately adjoining  the  ring. 

That  night  we  spread  our  blankets  on  the  floor 
of  the  tribunal,  which  was  made  of  the  "  hardwood  " 
for  which  the  Philippines  are  famous. 


June  10,  igoi. 
We  left  civilization  today  and  headed  for  the 
mountains.  A  short  stop  was  made  at  Naguilian, 
just  at  the  foothills,  where  our  real  work  began. 
The  trail  is  a  rough  one,  and,  as  we  advanced,  the 
sun  grew  hotter  and  hotter  and  the  going  harder 
and  harder.  In  many  places  we  were  obliged  to 
walk,  and  men  and  horses  were  used  up  when  we 
struck  camp  at  one-thirty.  Our  stop  was  at  a  point 
called  Sablan,  the  accommodations  being  two  vacant 
nipa  shacks  used  indiscriminately  by  passersby.  It 
was  here  Aguinaldo  proposed  establishing  a  gun 
foundry.  He  despoiled  a  number  of  coast  churches 
of  their  bells  and  had  them  carried  up  this  fearful 
trail  by  Igorotes.  He  also  had  an  old  boiler  and 
lathe  lugged  up;  how  I  do  not  know.  It  was  his  idea 
to  make  of  the  Benguet  mountains  a  sort  of  Ther- 
mopylae, where  a  final  stand  would  be  made.   The 

[  260  ] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

plan  was  not  a  bad  one,  as  the  two  or  three  trails  en- 
tering the  province  could  be  easily  defended.  1  he 
scheme  was  beyond  him,  however,  and  the  bells  still 
litter  the  ground  at  Sablan.  We  spent  the  afternoon 
and  night  there,  one  of  the  nipas  being  taken  by  us 
and  the  other  by  some  Igorotes.  These  latter  are  the 
"freighters"  of  the  mountains,  carrying  from  sev- 
enty-five to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  on 
their  backs  with  ease.  They  are  well  formed  and 
muscular,  the  men  usually  wearing  nothing  but  a  gee- 
string.  Most  of  those  we  saw  today  had  a  dog  or 
two  tied  to  a  stick,  destined  to  be  eaten  later  on. 
It  was  three  in  the  afternoon  when  our  pack  got 
in,  and  as  we  had  eaten  nothing  since  six  A.  M.,  we 
had  a  powerful  hunger.  There  were  no  doors  or 
windows  to  our  hut  and  we  had  to  shift  frequently 
during  the  night  to  escape  the  rain.  We  slept  on 
the  floor,  which  is  likely  to  be  our  portion  hence- 
forward. 


Baguio,  June  II,  I  go  I. 
Today  we  finished  our  climb  into  Baguio,  and  the 
mental  pictures  gathered  crowded  thick  one  upon 
the  other.  During  the  first  few  hours  our  trail  led 
through  a  dense  tropical  growth,  giant  creepers  and 
great  tree  ferns  vicing  for  supremacy.  Frequently 
our  path  wound  close  beside  some  deep  gorge,  drop- 
ping hundreds  of  feet  below,  and  again  we  crept 
along  some  narrow  hog's  back  with  sheer  precipices 
to  either  side.     Then,  as  we  rounded  some  jutting 

[261] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

peak,  there  would  spring  into  view  the  whole  ex- 
panse of  country  sweeping  down  to  the  China  Sea. 
Ocean  and  sky  met  and  blended  on  the  far  horizon, 
while  through  the  deep  green  of  wooded  hills  and 
valleys  meandered  the  silver  thread  of  the  Naguilian 
River.  As  we  ascended  the  undergrowth  gradually 
thinned,  and  we  saw  an  occasional  fir  or  pine  tree; 
then  they  came  in  groups,  and  finally  the  country 
took  on  the  aspect  of  a  great  park,  reminding  of  our 
northern  forests  at  home. 

As  yet  there  is  really  no  town  of  Ba'gulo.  There 
are  a  few  Igorote  huts  scattered  about,  with  some 
activity  at  this  time  because  of  work  on  the  new 
road.  There  is  a  small  detachment  of  soldiers,  a 
weather  man,  an  American  teacher,  and  the  pro- 
vincial officials. 

The  rain  started  earlier  today  than  usual,  and  it 
was  not  the  warm  rain  of  the  lowlands  but  a  thor- 
ough-going downpour  that  made  us  shiver  —  the  ele- 
vation here  being  over  five  thousand  feet.  Long 
before  we  reached  our  destination  we  were  wet,  cold, 
and  hungry,  a  condition  said  to  test  the  sweetest  dis- 
position. While  no  one  was  heard  to  say  he  really 
enjoyed  it,  there  was  no  complaining.  Some  of  the 
escort,  however,  who  thought  they  were  going  on  a 
pleasure  trip  with  the  Commissioners,  were  heard 
to  remark  that  had  they  known  what  was  coming 
they  would  have  been  on  sick  report.  From  all  ac- 
counts the  worst  is  yet  to  come. 

We  were  met  by  Otto  Scherer,  the  Provincial 
Secretary,  whose  house,  though  somewhat  rude,  is 

[262] 


Tropical   N'egetation,  Benguet 


Of 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

quite  commodious  for  this  region.  A  warm  meal 
awaited  us,  headed  by  an  immense  dish  of  rice  and 
fish  called  "  valenciana."  It  saved  our  lives.  Later 
we  were  able  to  get  into  dry  clothes,  and  my  legs, 
which  were  perfectly  numb,  gradually  came  to  life 
again.  We  are  all  quite  willing  to  make  affidavit 
concerning  the  "cool  and  bracing  air"  of  Baguio. 
It  rained  all  afternoon,  and  the  doctor  and  I  migrated 
to  the  kitchen,  where  we  sat  about  an  open  fire 
among  the  Igorotes.  The  weather  man  reports  a 
falling  barometer,  with  prospects  of  a  protracted 
storm.  Tonight  we  slept  on  the  floor  again,  bundled 
up  like  Esquimaux,  having  on  nearly  all  our  clothes. 
It  is  quite  a  sensation  to  be  thoroughly  cold  once 
more. 


Baguio,  June  12,  igoi. 

"  Baguio "  is  Spanish  for  typhoon,  and  our  ex- 
perience here  would  justify  the  name.  Despite  the 
storm,  however,  we  were  out  most  of  the  day.  A 
school  was  opened  here  about  two  weeks  ago,  and 
about  twenty  little  Igorotes  have  already  been  gath- 
ered from  the  bushes  and  started  on  the  royal  road. 
They  are  scant  of  clothes  and  very  dirty,  and  the  hut 
where  they  are  housed  is  primitive  in  its  bareness. 
The  scene  impressed  one  as  being  the  very  beginning 
of  things  —  a  sowing  of  seed  whose  reaping  in  its 
fullness  lay  with  far  distant  generations. 

In  the  aftern-^on  we  visited  the  new  road,  seven 
miles  of  which       '  constructed.     It  runs  the  entire 

[263] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

distance  through  a  great  pine  forest,  skirting  deep 
ravines  and  canons  and  affording  some  of  the  most 
magnificent  prospects  I  have  ever  seen.  Some  day 
this  place  will  be  as  famous  for  Its  scenery  as  for 
its  climate.  Many  of  the  views  reminded  me  of 
Switzerland,  and  I  cannot  imagine  a  more  beautiful 
drive  than  this  will  be  when  finished.  With  such  a 
spot  practically  at  the  doors  of  Manila,  life  in  the 
islands  should  prove  both  healthful  and  attractive. 
There  are  about  three  hundred  Igorotes  on  the 
work,  and  as  they  burrowed  half-naked  in  the  hill- 
sides they  resembled  so  many  great  beetles. 

On  preparing  to  retire  tonight  Commissioner 
Worcester  and  Dr.  Keller  each  missed  a  blanket. 
Inquiry  developed  that  some  of  the  escort  had  used 
them  for  saddle  blankets,  giving  rise  to  language 
which  perceptibly  raised  the  temperature.  Mr. 
Worcester  was  able  to  replace  his,  but  the  doctor 
shivered  and  muttered  the  night  through. 


Baguio,  June  IS,  igoi. 
We  are  getting  the  tail  of  a  typhoon  raging  in  the 
China  Sea,  and  were  confined  in  the  house  most  of 
the  day.  We  start  tomorrow,  however,  rain  or 
shine.  From  point  of  weather  our  stay  has  been 
inhospitable,  but  nothing  has  been  lacking  in  the  hos- 
pitality of  Mr.  Scherer  and  family.  His  daughter, 
a  girl  of  seventeen,  presides  in  his  home,  and  while 
she  has  never  attended  a  "  finishing  school,"  she  has 
all  the  grace  of  manner  natural  to  women  of  these 
islands. 

[264] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

June  14,  igoi. 
We  added  Mr.  Scherer  and  some  Igorote  carriers 
to  our  outfit  today,  but  lost  Dr.  Barrows,  whose  work, 
called  him  back  to  Manila.  The  day  promised  fair, 
but  failed  to  make  good.  We  had  barely  started 
when  It  began  raining,  making  a  bad  trail  worse. 
It  was  fierce.  At  noontime  there  was  no  sign  of  our 
pack,  and  no  one  had  brought  any  "chow."  Our 
only  recourse  was  the  rice  of  our  carriers,  which 
they  gladly  bartered  for  a  couple  of  "  dhoble  "  dol- 
lars. The  drop  to  primitive  man  Is  altogether  swift 
when  hunger  comes,  and  we  shocked  every  canon  of 
organized  society  as  we  sat  down  In  the  rain  and 
scooped  that  rice  in  with  our  fingers.  Then  followed 
six  hours  of  the  hardest  kind  of  work.  The  rain 
came  down  In  sheets,  while  that  trail  climbed  up  and 
up  as  though  to  reach  the  top  of  the  world.  As  we 
ascended  the  rain  slackened,  the  clouds  stretching  In 
great  streamers  across  the  distant  ranges.  Far  be- 
low In  the  gorges  we  could  see  the  mist  swirl  up  as 
from  some  great  cauldron  until  it  enveloped  us;  then 
It  would  scatter  and  lie  low  in  the  deep  ravines,  or 
chase  In  white  puffs  across  the  dark  flanks  of  the 
hills.  Occasionally  the  crest  only  of  some  high  peak 
would  arise  above  the  turmoil,  creating  the  effect  of 
Immeasurable  distance.  After  reaching  the  top  we 
started  down,  and  went  down  farther  and  faster 
than  we  came  up.  If  It  was  hard  work  getting  to 
the  top,  It  was  a  muscle-wrenching,  nerve-wracking 
job  getting  to  the  bottom.  The  descent  was  so  sharp 
and  the  trail  so  slippery  we  could  ride  little  of  It; 

[265] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

we  skated  and  slid  along,  our  horses  tumbling  at  our 
heels,  threatening  each  moment  to  fall  upon  us. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  the  sky  cleared,  and  as  we 
made  our  final  plunge  into  the  valley  of  the  Agno  at 
Ambuclao  all  the  different  ranges  stood  clear  cut 
against  the  sky.  When  Baguio  becomes  a  second 
Simla,  merry  outing  parties  will  make  this  trip  and 
exhaust  all  their  adjectives  describing  the  ride.  We 
exhausted  ours,  but  they  were  of  the  hyphenated 
kind  and  applied  mostly  to  the  trail. 

Ambuclao  consists  of  some  dozen  Igorote  huts, 
and  as  we  trailed  In  just  at  dusk  we  were  a  sorry 
looking  crowd.  Mr.  Scherer  drew  on  the  populace 
for  some  chickens  and  rice,  and,  much  to  our  sur- 
prise, the  pack  train  followed  closely. 

It  was  a  night  to  remember.  We  simply  moved 
in  with  the  Igorotes.  Two  small  houses  were  va- 
cated for  the  soldiers,  who  were  joined  by  LeRoy 
and  the  Doctor.  In  the  house  occupied  by  the  two 
Commissioners,  Mr.  Scherer,  and  myself,  the  family 
remained.  It  was  a  simple  room,  some  thirteen  by 
sixteen  feet.  To  the  family  chattels  we  added  our 
baggage  and  saddles.  In  one  corner  was  a  firebox, 
the  smoke  going  out  where  it  could.  There  were 
two  openings,  used  as  doors,  and  we  spread  our 
blankets  as  near  these  as  possible.  The  family,  con- 
sisting of  a  man,  his  wife,  and  several  children,  slept 
near  the  fire.  We  outraged  their  ideas  of  health  by 
keeping  the  doors  open,  it  being  their  custom,  as  it 
is  of  most  Filipinos,  to  tightly  close  their  houses  at 
night.      These    people    have    few    clothes    and    no 

[266] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

blankets,  so  they  kept  the  fire  going  all  night,  stir- 
ring it  into  flame  at  intervals.  We  also  ate  dinner 
in  this  hut,  our  table  being  a  poncho  spread  on  the 
floor,  lit  by  a  couple  of  sputtering  candles.  We 
grouped  about  this  in  such  attitudes  as  the  vicissitudes 
of  our  ride  made  comfortable,  some  of  the  party 
being  in  pajamas.  All  the  Igorotes  of  the  town  — 
men,  women,  and  children  —  gathered  about  the 
house  to  see  the  unwonted  sight.  They  were  half- 
clothed  and  altogether  unkempt,  the  children  wear- 
ing nothing  but  a  string  of  beads.  Considering 
our  early  breakfast,  our  long  ride,  and  scanty  lunch, 
the  appetite  with  which  we  ate  that  dinner  was  to  be 
envied. 


June  75,  igoi. 
This  morning  we  took  a  plunge  in  the  river,  and 
it  was  cold.  This  possibly  explains  why  the  Igorotes 
look  as  if  they  never  bathed;  they  hate  the  shock  of 
cold  water.  We  did  not  get  away  until  eleven,  our 
trail  leading  up  the  Agno  for  some  distance  and  then 
over  a  high  range  to  Daklan,  which  we  reached  at 
three-thirty.  It  is  quite  a  large  settlement,  but  as 
their  tribunal  was  burned  some  two  weeks  ago  we 
had  to  lodge  once  more  in  an  Igorote  hut.  The 
Commissioners  called  a  meeting  of  the  headmen  and 
explained  our  plans  and  purposes  toward  them,  Mr. 
Scherer  acting  as  interpreter.  He  is  earnest  in  this 
thing,  and  as  he  stalked  in  front  of  the  people, 
throwing  out  his  arms  and  shooting  his  words  at 

[267] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

them  in  quick,  short  sentences,  it  was  a  sight  worth 
seeing. 

We  had  thought  our  accommodations  last  night 
the  limit,  but  they  were  palatial  compared  with  those 
of  tonight.  Here  we  occupied  an  Igorote  house 
of  one  room,  possibly  fourteen  by  eighteen  feet,  into 
which  was  crowded  our  party  of  five,  our  Igorote 
carriers,  the  family,  some  chickens,  and  a  couple 
of  dogs.  Mr.  Moses  spread  his  blankets  on  a  small 
raised  platform  to  one  side,  while  Mr.  Worcester 
occupied  a  tiny  projection  under  the  eaves.  Mr. 
Scherer,  used  as  he  is  to  such  experiences,  fled  the 
scene,  saying  he  would  find  some  other  house  or  sleep 
in  the  coffee  bushes.  We  would  have  followed  suit, 
but  it  was  raining  and  we  did  not  know  the  place  or 
people.  While  we  were  retiring,  and  for  some  time 
thereafter,  our  host,  his  wife,  her  friends,  and  his 
friends,  were  having  a  private  dinner  party  at  our 
feet.  It  was  a  situation  to  conjure  with,  Mr. 
Moses,  from  his  platform,  hummed  an  old  couplet, 
which  ran  — 

How  little  did  my  mother  think, 

Tliat  time  she  cradled  me; 
What  lands  I  was  to  travel  in, 

What  sights  I  was  to  see. 

I  kicked  one  of  the  dogs,  while  the  Doctor  com- 
plained that  the  people  were  sitting  on  his  feet. 
After  many  false  starts  the  visitors  finally  left,  and 
we  were  alone  with  the  home  product.  Comparative 
quiet  reigned  until  the  rooster  woke  up,  and  I  have 

[268] 


c 


o 


o 


o 

3 
O 
u 

o 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

never  heard  a  bird  which  could  crow  louder  or  longer 
than  he  could.  It  was  an  experience  with  which  one 
remains  satisfied  with  once  enduring. 


June  i6,  igoi. 
Today  we  made  Kabayan,  some  twenty  miles.     It 
has  been  a  series  of  ascents  and  descents,  hard  on 
men  and  horses.    We  crossed  two  ranges,  walking  a 
good  part  of  the  way.     This  morning  my  saddle 
slipped,  the  girth  getting  under  the  horse's  withers, 
causing  a  pyrotechnic  display  of  heels,  unpleasant  on 
a  narrow  trail.     The  scenery  continues  something 
superb.     At  one  point  today  wc  followed  the  crest 
of  a  divide  overlooking  two  valleys  shut  in  by  high 
mountains.      Below   us   were   winding   streams   and 
rice  fields  turning  golden  for  the  harvest.     With  a 
clear  sky  above  we  could  see  the  dark  clouds  and 
hear  the  thunder  roll  amid  the  peaks  to  left  and 
right;  then  the  storm  swooped  down  upon  us,  and 
we  took  our  daily  baptism  of  rain.     Shortly  before 
reaching  Kabayan  we  saw  what  might  have  been  a 
bit  of  old  Japan.      Before  us  stretched  a  narrow 
valley,  terraced  far  up  the  sides  with  rice  fields  shad- 
ing in  color  from  the  tenderest  green  to  the  yellow 
of  the  ripened  grain.     Higher  up  was  a  belt  of  deep 
green   coffee   trees,    among  which  were   the   green- 
roofed  huts  of  an  Igorote  village.     From  the  head 
of  the  valley  flowed  a  small  mountain  stream,  which 
was  ingeniously  directed  into  a  far-reaching  scheme 
of  Irrigating  canals.     Untutored  though  they  are, 

[269] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

these  mountain  people  have  developed  an  irrigation 
system  which  would  be  considered  splendid  en- 
gineering in  any  country.  Not  only  does  it  repre- 
sent a  high  order  of  skill  but  it  bespeaks  habits  of 
industry  which  their  Christian  brethren  of  the  low- 
lands might  well  emulate. 

Kabayan,  our  destination  for  the  day,  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  richest  villages  in  Benguet.  It  is  on 
the  Agno,  which  is  here  almost  a  caiion.  The  situ- 
ation is  a  beautiful  one  and  compares  favorably  with 
many  a  Swiss  valley  where  tourists  pour  their  mil- 
lions annually.  In  the  late  afternoon  the  headmen 
of  the  district  gathered  about  the  Commissioners  and 
received  some  lessons  In  government.  The  people 
of  these  islands  have  a  peculiar  squat;  they  simply 
double  up  at  the  knees  like  a  chicken,  and  as  our 
audience  ranged  itself  in  this  posture  along  the  top 
of  a  stone  wall  they  looked  like  so  many  big  birds. 
We  lodged  in  the  tribunal,  which,  after  our  experi- 
ence of  last  night,  proved  a  veritable  Waldorf- 
Astoria.  We  have  decided  to  stop  here  a  day  and 
rest  men  and  horses. 


June  ij,   igoi. 

This  has  been  a  perfect  day.  To  do  nothing  after 
hard  work,  and  to  do  it  on  good,  wholesome  food, 
and  in  a  place  as  beautiful  and  interesting  as 
Kabayan,  represents  almost  the  ideal.  We  went 
bathing  in  the  river,  Mr.  Worcester  took  some 
photographs,  the  Doctor  made  some  sick  calls,  and 

[270] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

we  jointly  enthused  over  the  picturesqueness  of  our 
environment.  We  go  to  bed  early  these  days,  gen- 
erally before  eight  o'clock.  Our  bed  was  the  floor 
of  the  tribunal. 


June  i8,  igoi. 
We  were  off  today  at  six  o'clock  and  it  was  the 
worst  yet.  For  the  most  part  our  trails  are  simply 
rude  cuts  along  the  mountain  side,  often  only  a  few 
feet  wide  and  frequently  overlooking  gorges  that 
reach  down  indefinitely.  Our  horses,  for  some  rea- 
son, seem  to  prefer  the  outer  edge  of  the  path,  and 
it  has  been  a  gamble  which  would  go  over  first. 
My  horse  won  out.  In  rounding  a  sharp  turn  this 
morning,  with  water  running  in  the  path,  he  made 
a  jump  to  walk  on  the  grass  alongside.  The  "  grass  " 
proved  to  be  simply  rank  growth  on  the  edge  of  the 
trail,  and  over  he  went.  Fortunately  I  was  leading 
him  at  the  time.  I  swung  his  head  by  the  reins  and 
he  tried  valiantly  to  recover,  but  there  was  nothing 
doing.  He  hung  a  moment  and  then  went  over 
backwards,  disappearing  with  a  crash  amid  the  grass 
and  bamboo  which  shut  out  the  depths  below.  I 
couldn't  tell  whether  he  had  fallen  fifteen  feet  or 
fifty,  and  I  had  visions  of  walking  the  rest  of  the 
trip.  Some  of  the  escort  clambered  down  the  de- 
clivity, while  I  made  a  detour  and  worked  in  through 
the  tangle  from  below,  assisted  by  some  Igorotes 
with  bolos.  We  found  the  horse  bundled  up  on  some 
rocks  about  twenty-five  feet  below  the  trail.     The 

[271  ] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

jungle  growth  had  broken  his  fall,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  some  scratches,  he  is  apparently  unin- 
jured. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Loa,  the  most 
northern  village  of  Benguet.  There  may  be  steeper 
trails  and  rougher  country  than  we  have  traveled 
for  the  past  five  days,  but  none  of  our  party  have 
seen  them.  It  is  possible  also  that  there  is  level 
ground  in  the  province,  but  from  Naguilian  to  Loa 
we  haven't  seen  a  level  patch  of  over  forty  acres 
outside  the  Trinidad  Valley.  The  country  is  simply 
perpendicular  and  without  sequence,  the  ranges  cris- 
crossing  in  every  direction.  The  trails  are  little  more 
than  Igorote  footpaths,  and  when  an  Igorote  wants 
to  get  to  the  top  of  a  hill  or  mountain  he  goes  straight 
for  it;  the  thought  of  finding  a  grade  never  occurs 
to  him.  It  began  raining  at  two  —  a  cold,  heavy 
downpour.  When  you  dismount,  your  saddle  gets 
wet,  and  In  remounting  you  wrap  your  wet  poncho 
about  your  legs,  sit  on  it,  and  do  a  lot  of  other 
uncomfortable  things.  We  finally  struck  the  Loa 
Valley,  and  it  was  better  going.  Here,  however, 
we  had  to  ford  the  Agno  River  eight  times,  and  as 
we  sloshed  through  the  water,  wet  to  the  skin,  we 
appreciated  Stevenson's  description  where  he  speaks 
of  being  so  thoroughly  miserable  he  began  to  enjoy  it. 

We  had  been  expecting  for  the  past  two  days  to 
meet  General  Bell  and  party.  In  company  with 
Mrs.  Taft,  her  sister.  Miss  Herron,  and  Miss  Bubb 
he  left  Vigan  on  the  seventh  headed  this  way.  They 
have  been  traveling  through  Lepanto  and  Bontoc, 

[272] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

and  go  south  over  our  trail  to  Baguio.     We  ran  into 
them  this  afternoon  at  Loa. 

Loa  is  an  insignificant  place,  with  the  usual  limited 
accommodations.  The  best  we  could  do  for  our 
combined  parties  was  one  nipa  house,  the  ladies 
screening  off  one  corner  with  blankets.  There  were 
eleven  of  us  in  the  room.  The  floor  was  of  bamboo, 
being  more  comfortable  to  lie  on  than  boards.  We 
are  now  becoming  connoisseurs  as  to  floors.  We  all 
took  dinner  together  and  passed  a  delightful  eve- 
ning. The  encounter  in  such  a  place  was  decidedly 
novel,  and  we  were  quite  willing  to  celebrate  it  by 
postponing  our  usual  retiring  hour. 


June  ig,   igoi. 

Today  we  made  Cervantes,  the  capital  of  Lepanto, 
being  in  the  saddle  for  seven  hours.  We  broke  the 
ride  for  an  interval  at  the  ranch  of  Don  Jose  Mills, 
a  Spaniard  who  has  lived  in  these  mountains  over 
twenty  years.  He  has  made  considerable  money 
out  of  coffee  and  mining,  and  welcomed  us  with  true 
Spanish  hospitality.  We  were  served  with  some  good 
cold  beer  and  a  fine  lunch,  whereupon,  on  suggestion 
of  the  Doctor,  we  pronounced  our  host  to  be  "  a  gen- 
tleman and  a  scholar." 

As  we  neared  Cervantes  the  mountains  took  on 
more  of  a  horizontal  aspect,  and  we  had  compara- 
tively easy  going.  The  pine  forests  which  have 
lined  the  trail  since  leaving  Baguio  also  began  to 
disappear,  being  replaced  by  the  more  vivid  foliage 

[273] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

of  the  tropics.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  struck  the 
valley  of  the  Abra,  which  we  followed  downward  to 
Cervantes.  There  is  a  small  detachment  of  soldiers 
here,  with  a  lieutenant  in  charge.  He  has  his  wife 
with  him,  while  Major  Rice,  in  command  of  the  dis- 
trict, was  also  at  the  post.  We  ate  dinner  with  them 
at  a  regular  table  and  slept  upon  cots.  We  felt  quite 
luxurious.  A  public  meeting  is  scheduled  for  tomor- 
row, and  then  we  are  off  for  Bontoc. 


June  20,  igoi. 
About  two  hundred  Igorotes  and  some  fifty 
"Cristianos"  (converted  Filipinos)  attended  the 
session  today.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the  public 
street  under  some  large  trees,  reminding  somewhat 
of  our  interviews  with  Moro  Dattos  In  Mindanao. 
Those  of  the  Igorotes  who  pretended  to  definite 
clothing  were  dressed  in  curious  fragments;  one 
would  have  a  khaki  coat,  another  a  blue  shirt,  an- 
other the  rim  of  an  old  derby  hat,  etc.  The  speech 
went  from  English  into  Spanish,  then  into  Ilocano, 
and  some  of  it  into  Igorote.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  know  just  what  idea  the  ultimate  individual 
formed  of  what  was  said. 


Jiuie  21,  I  go  I. 
We  went  to  bed  last  night  expecting  to  start  for 
Bontoc  early  today,  having  been  told  great  tales  of 
the  preparations  made  to  receive  us.     Late  in  the 

[274] 


(LI 

u 


o 


^ 

a^ 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

night,  however,  a  message  came  through  from  Ma- 
nila advising  important  news  from  Washington,  and 
suggesting  the  return  of  the  Commissioners.  In- 
stead of  heading  further  inland,  therefore,  we  struck 
out  on  a  record  ride  for  Manila.  We  made  Angaqui, 
fifteen  miles  to  the  westward,  before  eleven  o'clock. 
Here  some  of  the  horses  went  lame,  and  we  could 
see  a  thunderstorm  rolling  through  the  Tilat  Pass, 
where  we  are  to  cross  the  mountains.  This  decided 
us  to  remain  in  Angaqui  over  night.  By  making  an 
early  start  we  hope  to  reach  the  coast  in  one  day. 


June  22,  igoi. 
We  rode  today  from  Angaqui  to  the  sea,  twenty- 
eight  miles.  Our  horses  were  in  bad  shape,  making 
the  ride  a  hard  one.  Our  early  start  brought  us  to 
the  top  of  the  Tilat  Pass  shortly  after  seven,  and  we 
had  at  different  stages  that  most  beautiful  of  all 
sights,  sunlight  effects  upon  fog.  The  valley  below 
us  was  a  rolling  cloud  bank,  and  as  the  sun  rose  over 
the  eastern  range  we  looked  down  upon  a  sea  of 
tumbling  silver.  From  the  summit  of  the  pass  we 
saw  the  sea  once  more,  the  country  being  spread  be- 
fore us  like  a  relief  map.  Through  the  clear  air  the 
coast  seemed  but  a  step  away,  but  it  was  four  in  the 
afternoon  when,  hot,  tired,  and  sore,  we  urged  our 
jaded  horses  into  the  plaza  at  Santa  Cruz.  The  lat- 
ter part  of  the  ride  was  particularly  trying.  We 
forded  the  Santa  Cruz  River,  which  is  filled  with 
loose  stones,  no  less  than  fourteen  times.     In  some 

[275] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

places  the  current  was  quite  swift  and  deep,  and  our 
horses  found  it  difficult  to  keep  their  footing.  The 
final  stretch  of  twelve  miles  over  the  flat  coast  plain 
was  made  in  the  sultry  heat  of  the  afternoon.  We 
looked  like  tramps,  but  were  hospitably  received  by 
Captain  Wallace,  in  charge.  After  a  shave,  a  bath, 
and  some  clean  clothes,  we  took  on  again  the  appear- 
ance of  civilized  beings.  Our  horses  and  pack  train 
remain  here  for  a  few  days  to  recuperate.  We  are 
off  tomorrow  for  San  Fernando  de  la  Union,  forty- 
five  miles,  by  relays  of  wagons;  thence  to  Dagupan 
by  launch  tomorrow  night,  and  Manila  next  day  by 
train.  I  slept  on  a  pillow  tonight,  the  first  since 
leaving  Manila. 


June  2j,  igoi. 
Our  entire  ride  today  was  along  the  coast,  being 
within  sight  of  the  sea  always,  and  often  right  along 
the  shore.  We  made  it  in  three  relays,  reaching  San 
Fernando  at  six  in  the  evening.  The  first  two  relays 
were  made  in  open  escort  wagons  drawn  by  four 
mules.  The  heat,  and  dust,  and  the  hammering  of 
the  wagons  over  the  road  left  little  margin  for  per- 
sonal comfort.  It  was  an  interesting  ride  neverthe- 
less. It  was  Sunday,  a  day  dedicated  by  these  people 
to  marketing,  cock-fighting,  and  church-going.  Vari- 
ous of  the  presidents  had  received  word  of  our  com- 
ing, and  were  out  to  meet  us,  accompanied  by  the 
village  band.  Our  stops,  however,  were  short.  We 
crossed  a  number  of   rivers,  using  what  they  call 

[276] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

"balsas,"  being  a  raft  made  of  bamboo.  A  long 
rope  is  attached  to  the  raft  and  then  carried  across 
the  stream  and  made  fast.  The  raft  is  then  pushed 
into  the  current  and  drifts  down  the  stream  until 
brought  up  short  by  the  rope,  when  it  is  gradually 
pulled  out  of  the  current.  It  is  a  primitive  and  excit- 
ing method  of  transfer.  We  boarded  the  launch 
immediately  on  reaching  San  Fernando  and  got  un- 
der way  without  delay.  We  had  a  pick-up  dinner  and 
slept  on  deck,  the  cool  sea  air  being  most  refreshing. 


June  24,  igoi. 

While  we  were  but  a  few  hours  making  the  run  to 
Dagupan,  we  could  not  cross  the  bar  until  after  five 
this  morning,  so  missed  the  early  train  for  Manila, 
which  left  at  five  o'clock.  Why  it  should  leave  so 
early  is  another  of  the  mysteries.  We  bid  good-by 
here  to  Dr.  Keller.  He  had  proven  a  pleasant  and 
congenial  companion,  and  we  parted  with  regret, 
each  to  take  up  again  his  separate  way  of  life. 

It  was  eight  that  evening  when  we  reached  Manila 
after  a  somewhat  tedious  ride.  We  had  come  from 
Cervantes  in  less  than  four  days,  something  of  a 
record.  While  it  is  a  bit  disappointing  that  our  trip 
was  curtailed,  yet  to  be  in  Manila  at  this  time,  and  to 
witness  and  take  part  In  the  transfer  from  military  to 
civil  rule,  is  compensation.  I  will  reserve  politics, 
however,  for  another  letter. 


[277] 


XIV 

THE  PASSING  OF  THE  "EMPIRE" 

Manila,  July  2,  igoi. 
TUST  across  the  plaza  square  from  where  I  write 
*^  workmen  are  erecting  the  stand  where,  on  July 
4,  Judge  Taft  will  take  oath  as  Civil  Governor  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.  It  is  a  somewhat  momentous 
change  from  that  time  a  year  ago,  when  soldiers 
patrolled  all  of  Manila's  streets,  and  it  was  unsafe  to 
venture  outside  the  city  limits;  when  civilians  were 
few  and  barely  tolerated,  and  when  all  classes  re- 
garded each  other  with  distrust  and  suspicion.  To- 
day peace  reigns  throughout  most  of  the  archipelago 
and  the  people  are  returning  to  their  homes  and 
fields.  They  are  coming  to  have  faith  in  our  prom- 
ises and  in  our  ability  to  protect  them. 

By  the  present  change  in  government  Judge  Taft 
becomes  the  chief  executive,  while  the  Commission 
remains  the  legislative  body.  The  members  of  the 
Commission  are  also  to  be  heads  of  departments, 
with  executive  functions.  Another  innovation  is  the 
appointment  of  three  Filipinos  on  the  Commission,  a 
step  in  line  with  our  expressed  policy  and  conforme 
to  popular  clamor.  Those  selected  for  the  place  are 
Dr.  T.  H.  Pardo  de  Tavera,  Don  Benito  Legarda, 

[278] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

and  Don  Jose  Luzuriaga,  all  men  of  broad  intelli- 
gence and  superior  to  most  of  their  countrymen  in 
appreciation  of  the  crisis  through  which  their  coun- 
try is  passing.  Their  nomination  is  to  be  announced 
during  the  inaugural  ceremonies  on  July  4,  though 
they  do  not  enter  upon  their  duties  until  September  i. 

General  MacArthur  departs  the  scene  on  July  5. 
He  will  be  succeeded  by  General  Adna  R.  Chaffee, 
whom  it  is  hoped  will  be  imbued  with  a  clearer  con- 
ception of  the  fact  that  the  purpose  of  our  army  in 
the  Philippines  is  to  restore  civil  rule  than  was  his 
predecessor. 

On  July  I  all  the  army  officers  holding  volunteer 
commissions  were  mustered  out.  Many  of  them 
have  been  performing  quasi-civil  duties  under  detail 
of  the  Military  Governor,  and  will  be  continued  in 
such  positions,  the  only  difference  being  that  they 
will  now  discard  their  uniforms  and  report  to  the 
new  executive.  The  rapid  extension  of  civil  govern- 
ment has  entailed  quite  a  call  for  efficient  men  for 
the  different  posts,  and  while  there  has  been  no  lack 
of  candidates  it  has  not  always  been  easy  to  find  the 
right  material.  Given  our  distance  from  the  base  of 
supply,  it  is  felt  the  Commission  has  been  quite 
fortunate  in  its  selections.  A  number  of  Filipinos 
have  been  appointed  judges  and  to  other  positions, 
silencing  for  a  time  the  recent  clamor  over  judicial 
appointments. 

As  can  be  imagined,  there  has  been  no  let-up  in  the 
work.  The  fact  is,  our  machine  is  undermanned, 
though  there  seems  no  present  way  to  avoid  it. 

[279] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Manila,  July  14,  igoi. 

The  "  Days  of  the  Empire,"  as  our  military 
regime  has  been  dubbed,  are  no  more.  On  July  4 
Judge  Taft  was  inaugurated  Civil  Governor  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  marking  another  step  in  the  some- 
what kaleidoscopic  march  of  events  framed  here 
since  May,  1898.  The  inaugural  ceremonies  were 
simple  and  impressive.  They  were  held  in  the  open, 
fronting  the  old  plaza  square  in  the  Walled  City, 
where  so  much  of  history  has  been  written.  The 
morning  was  a  perfect  one,  and  the  crowd  which 
packed  every  available  space  was  a  mixture  of  every 
race,  creed,  and  caste. 

Judge  Taft  filled  full  the  place  allotted  him,  and 
when,  with  uplifted  hand,  he  responded  to  the  oath 
administered  by  Chief  Justice  Arellano,  I  doubt  if 
there  was  one  in  all  that  vast  throng  but  felt  that 
the  strongest  of  them  all  had  been  called  to  leader- 
ship. Once  again,  as  oft  before,  I  wished  it  might 
have  been  possible  for  that  coterie  of  long-range 
knockers,  known  as  the  "Anti-Imperialist  League," 
to  be  present.  Perhaps  in  watching  that  scene  and 
breathing  that  atmosphere  they  would  have  appreci- 
ated something  of  the  work  done  and  doing  to  bring 
to  these  people  those  blessings  which  are  our  herit- 
age and  boast. 

What  the  task  involves,  and  the  genuinely  altruistic 
spirit  and  high  purpose  with  which  It  is  undertaken, 
may  be  sensed  from  the  closing  paragraphs  of  Judge 
Taft's  address,  wherein  he  referred  to  his  appoint- 
ment and  to  our  collective  obligation  as  follows: 

[280] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

The  burden  of  the  responsibility  which,  by  taking 
the  oath  this  day  administered  to  me,  I  assume,  I 
shall  not  dwell  upon,  except  to  say  that  no  one  real- 
izes it  more  keenly  than  I  do.  While  I  am  pro- 
foundly grateful  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States  for  the  personal  trust  thus  expressed  in  ap- 
pointing me  to  this  high  office,  it  is  with  no  exultant 
spirit  of  confidence  that  I  take  up  the  new  duties 
and  new  task  assigned  me.  I  must  rely,  as  I  do, 
upon  the  cooperation,  energy,  ability,  and  fidelity 
to  their  trust  of  those  with  whom  I  am  to  share  the 
responsibility  now  presented,  and  upon  the  sympa- 
thetic and  patriotic  patience  of  those  educated  Fili- 
pino people  who  have  already  rendered  me  such  tre- 
mendous aid,  and  upon  the  consciousness  that  earnest 
effort  and  honest  purpose,  with  a  saving  of  common 
sense,  have  in  the  past  solved  problems  as  new,  as 
threatening,  and  as  difficult  as  the  one  before  me. 

The  high  and  sacred  obligation  to  give  protection 
to  property  and  life,  civil  and  religious  freedom, 
and  wise  and  unselfish  guidance  in  the  paths  of  peace 
and  prosperity  to  all  the  people  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  is  charged  upon  us,  his  representatives,  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  May  we  not  be 
recreant  to  this  charge,  which  he  truly  says  concerns 
the  honor  and  the  conscience  of  our  country.  He 
expresses  the  firm  hope  that  through  our  "  labors  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Philippine  Islands  may  come 
to  look  back  with  gratitude  to  the  day  when  God 
gave  victory  to  American  arms  at  Manila  and  set 
their  land  under  the  sovereignty  and  protection  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States."  God  grant  that 
in  spite  of  all  the  trials  and  perplexities,  the  disap- 
pointments and  difficulties  with  which  we  are  sure 
to  be  confronted,  we  may  live  to  see  this  fervent 
hope  made  a  living  fact  in  the  hearts  of  a  patriotic 

[281] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

people,  linked  within  the  indissoluble  ties  of  affec- 
tion to  our  common  country. 

Judge  Taft  now  occupies  the  dual  role  of  Civil 
Governor  and  President  of  the  Commission.  The 
taking  over  of  the  executive  work  of  the  govern- 
ment has  required  building  up  a  new  organization, 
with  a  corresponding  increase  of  labor.  From  all 
sides  letters,  petitions,  and  recommendations  have 
poured,  are  pouring,  and  will  doubtless  continue  to 
pour,  while  there  has  been  no  surcease  In  legislative 
matters  crowding  for  action.  In  the  shifting  of 
personnel  Judge  Taft  asked  that  Mr.  Fergusson, 
Secretary  of  the  Commission,  be  assigned  to  him  as 
Executive  Secretary,  which  was  done.  This  left  the 
position  of  Secretary  to  the  Commission  vacant,  and 
I  was  asked  to  take  It.  The  work  is  arduous  but  of 
absorbing  interest. 


Manila,  August  4,  igoi. 

The  Commission  Is  now  In  almost  constant  public 
session,  and  we  are  surfeited  with  oratory.  The 
tongue  of  Castile  is  so  smooth  flowing  that,  like  the 
brook,  It  threatens  to  go  on  forever.  Despite  all, 
however,  July  has  to  its  credit  quite  a  number  of 
Important  measures  —  among  them  an  Act  creating 
a  Board  of  Health  for  the  islands  and  establishing  a 
Bureau  of  Government  Laboratories;  an  Act  pro- 
viding for  an  Insular  Constabulary;  the  regular  ap- 
propriation bill;  an  Act  Incorporating  the  City  of 

[282] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Manila;  an  Act  reorganizing  the  Forestry  Bureau, 
and  an  Act  relating  to  the  Postal  Service.  The  total 
number  of  Acts  for  the  month  is  twenty-eight,  be- 
sides which  the  proposed  Code  of  Civil  Procedure 
has  been  dragging  its  weary  way  through  the  ses- 
sions, having  been  under  consideration  since  last 
May.  It  has  over  eight  hundred  sections,  which 
have  been  gone  over  in  detail.  This  is  now  finished 
and  it  comes  up  for  final  passage  Wednesday. 

The  Insular  Constabulary  Act  provides  for  the 
enlistment  of  a  body  of  natives  into  a  semi-military 
organization,  who  will  constitute  a  general  police 
force  for  the  archipelago.  They  will  be  officered  by 
Americans,  who  are  intended  to  operate  throughout 
the  provinces  in  addition  to  the  local  police.  They 
will  supplement  the  army,  which  it  is  expected  to 
reduce  materially  within  the  year. 

The  Manila  Charter,  just  adopted,  naturally 
created  considerable  interest,  and  the  public  sessions 
were  crowded.  The  city  will  be  governed  something 
after  the  plan  of  Washington,  the  Municipal  Board 
being  composed  of  three  members  with  general 
supervision  of  affairs,  the  Commission  acting  as  a 
court  of  last  resort.  One  feature  of  the  law  which 
caused  considerable  consternation  among  Filipinos 
and  Spaniards  was  the  levying  of  a  two  per  cent  tax 
on  real  estate.  Land  has  never  been  taxed  in  the 
islands  heretofore,  and  though  values  have  doubled 
and  rents  trebled  in  Manila  since  American  occupa- 
tion, the  tax  was  fought  from  start  to  finish.  It  was 
a  case  of  le*-  the  other  fellow  pay  —  usually  the  one 

[283] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

who  could  bear  It  least.  The  provision  went  in  with 
but  slight  modification.  Truth  to  tell,  the  suggestions 
daily  offered  the  Commission  in  the  way  of  govern- 
ment building  would  make  a  weird  structure  if  util- 
ized, and  furnish  a  fair  test  of  what  might  be  ex- 
pected should  we  withdraw  and  let  the  people  go  It 
alone. 

At  the  meeting  yesterday,  which  was  held  in  the 
old  Spanish  Sessions  Hall,  Don  Pedro  A.  Paterno  — 
whom  I  have  mentioned  before  —  was  the  star  per- 
former. The  bill  upon  which  he  rose  to  speak  was 
one  providing  for  municipal  officials  In  Manila  and 
fixing  their  salaries.  After  some  preliminary  flour- 
ishes, wherein  he  lauded  the  Commission  and  Its 
work,  and  ran  In  a  reference  or  two  to  Washington 
and  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  he  stated 
that  he  felt  divinely  predestined  to  appear  before  the 
Commission  on  this  occasion;  that  the  session  hall 
where  we  sat  seemed  built  to  witness  his  personal 
triumph  and  the  triumph  of  his  ideas;  that  the  last 
time  he  had  appeared  there  he  had  championed  Fili- 
pino autonomy  under  the  Spanish  regime,  while  he 
was  now  a  champion  of  the  masses,  who  were  getting 
disheartened,  he  alone  remaining  full  of  faith,  full 
of  hope,  and  full  of  optimism.  With  this  flying  start 
we  were  prepared  to  hear  a  stirring  appeal  concern- 
ing the  "  rights  of  man,"  wherein  all  the  changes 
would  be  rung  on  liberty,  equality,  individual  free- 
dom, etc.  Instead,  the  only  thing  the  speaker  wanted 
was  that  members  of  the  Municipal  Board  should 
receive  $i,ooo  a  month  Instead  of  $4,500  a  year,  as 

[284] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

provided,  based  on  the  theory  that  they  would  be  so 
beset  by  churchmen  and  landowners  generally  that 
they  should  have  big  pay.  He  also  thought  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Advisory  Board  created  by  the  Act,  who 
receive  no  salary  other  than  $5  for  each  meeting 
attended,  should  be  compensated.  His  suggestion 
was  that  each  of  such  members  be  paid  $100  for 
every  "memorial"  presented  to  the  Municipal 
Board.  As  these  people  do  little  but  write  petitions 
and  memorials,  his  suggestion  brought  forth  a  shout 
of  derision  from  the  audience.  He  also  thought 
decorations  and  orders  of  nobility  would  be  a  good 
thing.  Thus  is  our  work  relieved  of  its  tedium. 
Paterno,  however,  was  Vice-President  of  the  Malolos 
Congress,  is  an  educated  man,  and  considered  one  of 
the  leaders  of  these  people. 


Manila,  August  11,  igoi. 
If  such  a  thing  be  possible,  this  is  the  busiest  time 
the  Commission  has  experienced  in  a  busy  year.  Get- 
ting the  machinery  of  civil  government  moving  has 
been  a  big  job.  The  wheels  began  turnmg  in  Manila 
last  Wednesday,  the  various  city  officials  being  sworn 
in  and  entering  at  once  upon  their  duties.  I  have 
learned  a  great  deal  about  municipal  government  in 
the  past  month  or  two.  It  was  not  until  all  these 
questions  came  before  the  Commission  that  I  appre- 
ciated how  complicated  is  the  mechanism  of  our  mod- 
ern municipalities  and  how  little  most  people  know 
about  it. 

[285] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Filipinos  have  been  given  quite  a  large  representa- 
tion in  the  city  government,  although  it  is  realized 
they  have  neither  the  training  nor  experience  to  fit 
them  for  the  best  work.  The  situation  seems  to 
demand  it,  however,  efficiency  being  sacrificed  in  cer- 
tain instances  in  order  to  effect  our  plan  of  training 
the  people  in  the  ways  of  self-government.  The 
problem  grows  as  we  face  the  practical  application  of 
our  theories  and  pledges.  The  Commission  has  been 
subjected  to  much  criticism  by  the  American  and 
foreign  community  of  Manila  because  of  its  policy  of 
favoring  the  natives  in  legislation  and  in  appoint- 
ments to  office.  We  are  told  that  the  United  States 
acquired  the  islands  from  Spain  both  by  conquest  and 
purchase;  that  the  Filipinos  never  had  a  distinct  na- 
tionality, and  that  we  are  under  no  obligations  to 
them;  that  because  persons  happen  to  be  native  to  a 
particular  territory  does  not,  ipso  facto,  give  them  a 
right  to  it  above  all  others;  that  we  came  to  the 
islands  bringing  in  our  train  those  things  which  make 
in  the  end  for  morality,  for  progress,  and  for  the 
highest  development  of  the  individual ;  that  we  found 
here  a  people  incapable,  m  many  respects,  of  appreci- 
ating the  order  of  things  we  represent,  or  of  develop- 
ing the  islands  and  causing  them  to  yield  to  the  world 
those  products  of  which  the  world  stands  in  need; 
that  we  should  not  delay  this  result  and  this  process 
simply  because  of  some  fancied  duty  growing  out  of 
the  fact  that  the  present  inhabitants  were  born  on 
Philippine  soil;  that  while  the  people  of  earth  are 
divided  into  various  nationalities,  in  fact  they  consti- 

[286] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

tute  one  great  body  —  the  human  race  —  and  that 
the  energy  of  men  should  be  directed  to  advancing 
the  world,  the  general  good,  rather  than  to  coddling 
and  temporizing  with  a  fraction  which  proves  itself 
unwilling  to  keep  pace  with  the  march  of  events. 

The  question  is,  How  far  are  we  justified  in  forc- 
ing our  ideas  and  ideals  upon  these  people,  and  how 
far  should  we  sacrifice  and  delay  what  we  believe  is 
best  In  order  to  meet  the  viewpoint,  traditions,  de- 
sires, and  prejudices  of  the  local  output?  Our  gov- 
ernment has  deliberately  chosen  the  harder  task;  it 
has  elected  to  become  a  guide  rather  than  a  master, 
to  teach  and  train  the  people  rather  than  attempt  ar- 
bitrarily to  force  them  to  our  ways.  Variously,  how- 
ever, do  we  find  our  utilitarian  efforts  appreciated 
and  appraised.  So  far  as  can  be  judged,  the  mass  of 
the  Filipinos  are  satisfied  at  this  time  with  what  we 
are  doing  for  them,  though  there  is  a  growing 
tendency  to  clamor  for  more  privileges  and 
perquisites  than  the  most  liberal  policy  justifies.  Our 
course  is  roundly  criticised  by  the  American  press  of 
the  islands,  and  by  most  of  the  resident  foreigners, 
as  being  altogether  visionary  and  dangerous,  while 
we  are  castigated  at  home  by  various  highly-sensitive 
individuals  of  Boston  and  thereabouts  for  "oppress- 
ing a  patriotic  people." 

Referring  to  the  American  papers  of  Manila,  they 
have  been  anything  but  a  help  to  us  thus  far.  From 
the  very  beginning  they  have  antagonized  and  ob- 
structed the  work  of  the  civil  authorities.  The  con- 
fidence expressed  by  the  Commission  in  the  people 

[287] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

has  been  ridiculed,  and  its  appointment  of  natives 
to  office  denounced  and  condemned.  They  have 
attacked  everything  FIHpino,  calHng  the  natives 
treacherous,  untrustworthy,  etc.,  their  whole  attitude 
tending  to  destroy  or  render  impossible  that  sympa- 
thy between  the  authorities  and  the  people  so  essen- 
tial to  the  success  of  our  work.  The  Filipino  is 
morbidly  sensitive  to  criticism,  and  he  has  not  learned 
to  distinguish  sufficiently  between  Americans  to 
know  that  the  attacks  of  a  few  disgruntled  American 
papers  do  not  express  American  sentiment.  To  a 
considerable  extent  this  also  reflects  the  attitude  of 
American  commercial  interests,  whose  grievance 
appears  to  arise  from  the  fact  that  the  Commission 
has  been  more  concerned  in  legislating  for  what  it 
believes  to  be  the  good  of  the  Filipinos  than  for  the 
particular  interests  of  outsiders. 

As  to  the  papers,  their  circulation  is  largely  an 
army  one,  their  revenue  being  derived  in  great  part 
from  that  source  and  from  the  advertisements  of 
companies  whose  trade  depends  upon  supplying  can- 
teens and  army  commissaries.  The  larger  the  army 
of  occupation,  and  the  longer  it  remains,  the  greater 
their  profits;  hence  their  advocacy  of  military  gov- 
ernment. 

The  same  coloring  has  also  been  clearly  apparent 
in  the  Associated  and  other  press  dispatches  sent  to 
the  States.  The  picture  painted  has  usually  been 
from  the  army  standpoint,  due  possibly  to  the  fact 
that  most  of  the  correspondents  mess  with  army  offi- 
cers and  get  their  point  of  view.     In  but  very  few 

[288] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

instances  has  the  real  work  accomplished  by  the  civil 
authorities  received  just  mention  or  credit. 

Day  after  tomorrow  we  start  on  our  trip  to 
organize  the  North  Luzon  provinces,  and  will  be 
gone  at  least  two  weeks.  Our  boat  this  time  will  be 
a  small  one,  and  as  it  is  the  typhoon  season  some 
Interesting  experiences  are  expected.  No  ladies  are 
to  be  taken,  much  to  their  regret. 


[289] 


XV 

THE  NORTHERN  TRIP 

Manila,  August  30,  igoi. 

''T^HE  last  "Provincial  Tour"  has  ended,  and  that 
you  may  have  the  story  complete  I  send  you 
my  diary  of  its  experiences. 


August  75,  igoi. 

Today  our  northern  trip  entered  upon  its  first 
stages.  Once  more  we  packed  our  grips,  gathered 
together  copies  of  the  provincial  and  municipal  laws, 
and  sailed  away  to  spread  the  gospel  of  free  govern- 
ment among  a  stranger  people.  This  is  the  trip 
planned  for  June,  but  not  until  now  has  the  situation 
in  Manila  been  such  that  the  Commission  could 
leave.  As  it  is.  Commissioners  Wright  and  Moses 
remain  behind  —  Commissioner  Wright  to  work 
upon  a  proposed  Criminal  Code  and  Code  of  Crimi- 
nal Procedure,  and  Commissioner  Moses  to  assist  in 
caring  for  the  six  hundred  teachers  expected  next 
week  on  the  Thomas. 

We  are  to  visit  the  provinces  of  Zambales,  La 
Union,  Ilocos  Sur,  Ilocos  Norte,  Abra,  Cagayan, 
and  Isabela.     It  is  the  typhoon  season  and  our  ves- 

[290] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

sel  this  time  is  not  the  Sumner,  but  the  Aldecoa,  a 
small  coasting  vessel  of  the  "  Compania  Maritima." 
Our  schedule  is  a  hard  one,  involving  simply  one 
night  stands.  No  one  has  the  temerity  to  speak  of  it 
as  a  pleasure  trip. 

We  were  to  have  left  at  four  o'clock,  but  it  was 
four-thirty  before  we  got  away  from  the  Ayun- 
tamiento,  work  piling  up  until  the  last  minute.  Four 
laws  were  passed  today.  We  reached  the  ship 
shortly  after  five,  and  at  five-thirty  were  steaming 
toward  Corregidor. 

The  upper  deck  of  the  Aldecoa  is  roofed  over,  and 
dinner  was  served  in  the  open.  It  was  well,  for  the 
lower  regions  of  these  boats  have  a  musty  taste  and 
smell  about  them  anything  but  appetizing.  As  we 
sat  at  the  table  it  was  good  to  see  so  many  of  the 
old  guard  present  —  these  who  had  been  on  hand 
from  the  first  speech  at  Bacolor  through  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  subsequent  trips  and  encounters.  Of 
the  Commission,  we  have  Governor  Taft  and  Com- 
missioners Worcester  and  Ide,  and  of  the  staff,  Fer- 
gusson,  interpreter  extraordinary,  and  LeRoy,  Car- 
penter, and  myself,  Secretaries.  McDonnel  of  the 
Sun,  Juan  de  Juan  of  El  Progreso,  Pellicena  of  the 
Noticiero,  and  Gonzalez  of  El  Comercia  are  also 
with  us,  seasoned  veterans  all  of  them  of  innumer- 
able banquets  and  bailes.  Among  the  new  faces  we 
have  Dr.  Kruger,  German  Consul;  Don  Benito  Le- 
garda,  one  of  the  newly-appointed  Commissioners; 
Tomas  G.  del  Rosario,  Director  of  the  Partido  Fed- 
eral; Dr.  Ejercito  and  Felix  Dancel,  who  have  done 

[291] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

much  to  bring  in  insurrecto  leaders;  Padre  Aglipay, 
Aguinaldo's  Chaplain  General,  one  of  the  hardest 
men  with  whom  our  troops  had  to  deal;  Father  Mc- 
Kinnon,  late  Chaplain  of  the  First  California;  Dr. 
Stafford,  physician  for  civil  employes;  McCormick, 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune;  Adamson,  of  Leslie's 
Weekly,  and  Dave  Morris,  acting  for  the  Associated 
Press.  From  the  office  we  have  Schlodfeldt  and 
Calvin. 

The  Aldecoa  is  chartered  everything  furnished, 
and  our  dinner  far  eclipsed  anything  served  on  the 
Sumner.  The  wines  were  of  the  finest,  and  the 
cigars  of  a  brand  calculated  to  woo  forgetfulness  of 
all  earthly  tribulations.  It  was  a  scene  of  peace  and 
perfect  content,  but  its  moments  were  fleeting.  Lying 
in  wait  for  us  just  beyond  Corregidor  was  the  treach- 
erous China  Sea,  ever  turbulent  and  restless.  No 
sooner  had  our  little  vessel  poked  her  nose  outside 
the  bay  than  she  was  caught  and  tossed  about  in 
most  reckless  fashion.  Smiles  faded,  mirth  and 
jollity  died  away,  and  faces  became  lined  and  solemn 
as  with  deep  inward  reflection.  Anon  there  were 
hurried  trips  to  the  rail  and  a  scattering  for  cabins, 
and  the  night  witnessed  many  generous  though  woe- 
ful partings  from  that  much-applauded  dinner. 


China  Sea,  August  14,  igoi. 
We  were  billed  for  Iba,  Zambales  Province,  this 
morning,  but  the  heavy  sea  breaking  on  the  open 
roadway  made  landing  impossible.    There  was  noth- 

[292] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

ing  for  it  but  to  steam  on,  hoping  for  better  luck  on 
the  return.  After  rounding  Cape  Bolinao,  off 
Lingayen  Gulf,  the  sea  smoothed  down  a  bit  and  our 
sick  began  to  perk  up.  The  ship  scored  heavily 
though  on  the  "everything  furnished"  proposition. 
We  reached  San  Fernando  de  la  Union  at  four- 
thirty,  but  being  ahead  of  schedule  remained  aboard 
for  the  night  that  the  people  might  finish  their  prep- 
arations for  our  reception. 


San  Fernando,  August  75,  igoi. 

Today  has  been  a  page  out  of  the  "Southern 
Trip."  After  a  hurried  breakfast  we  were  borne 
ashore  in  a  gayly  decorated  barge  and  landed  on  a 
crowded  beach  to  the  mingled  music  of  many  bands; 
we  passed  up  streets  lined  with  people  and  spanned 
by  many  arches;  we  met  the  delegates  in  session  and 
explained  the  provisions  of  the  provincial  and  mu- 
nicipal acts;  we  ate  a  lunch  which  was  a  dinner  and 
gazed  with  awe  upon  their  wonderfully  carved  tooth- 
picks, and  admired  again  their  abundant  and  gen- 
erous hospitality;  in  the  afternoon  we  had  more 
meeting  and  made  the  appointments  to  office;  we 
were  then  escorted  in  procession,  accompanied  by  the 
bands  (the  omnipresent  bands),  to  where  our  tri- 
umphal barge  awaited  to  carry  us  aboard.  A  ban- 
quet and  haile  in  the  evening  drew  the  resolute  and 
energetic  ashore  once  more,  though  our  ranks  were 
sadly  shattered.     Such  was  the  day. 

Our  meeting  of  the  morning  had  its  own  peculiar 

[293] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

side  lights.  The  people  here  look  upon  the  Commis- 
sion, and  particularly  its  President,  with  something 
of  the  reverence  and  blind  faith  with  which  the 
devout  of  Bible  times  regarded  the  Apostles  who 
brought  healing  and  pardon.  They  came  today 
with  their  petitions,  as  those  of  old  came  with  their 
maladies,  expecting  a  like  sudden  relief.  There  are 
few  of  them  but  have  a  husband,  or  brother,  or  some 
relative  in  jail  because  of  the  insurrection.  This 
morning  during  a  recess  of  the  Commission  there 
was  a  regular  influx  of  women,  many  of  them  carry- 
ing or  leading  children,  seeking  the  liberation  of 
their  respective  parientes.  As  Secretary,  the  flow  of 
petitions  was  diverted  my  way.  As  this  is  an  Ilocano 
province,  and  few  of  the  distressed  spoke  Spanish, 
my  explanation  that  the  Commission  could  not  con- 
sider their  petitions  instanter  fell  upon  deaf  ears. 
They  expected  me  to  disburse  pardons  as  one  might 
hand  out  meal  tickets.  Some  of  them  were  crying 
and  others  knelt  upon  the  floor.  It  was  an  affecting 
and  trying  situation.  They  were  finally  rounded  up, 
and  Governor  Taft  explained  that  neither  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Commission  nor  as  Civil  Governor  could 
he  grant  pardon  to  those  convicted  of  military  of- 
fenses; that  their  petitions  should  be  directed  to  the 
Commanding  General,  who  would  give  them  proper 
attention;  that  as  to  the  petitions  handed  the  Com- 
mission, they  would  be  transmitted  to  the  military 
authorities  with  recommendation  of  favorable  action, 
given  the  pacific  state  of  the  province  and  the  evident 
desire  of  the  people  for  peace  and  order. 

[294] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

ViGAN,  August  i6,  igoi. 

Today  we  were  advertised  for  VIgan,  Ilocos  Sur, 
a  place  of  considerable  importance,  but  without  a 
port.  In  choosing  sites  for  their  towns  the  Spaniards 
seem  to  have  made  no  effort  to  locate  them  with 
reference  to  harbors.  Eighteen  miles  beyond  Vigan 
is  a  little  place  called  Salomague,  with  a  decent  port. 
During  half  the  year  steamers  load  and  unload  at 
this  point,  the  goods  being  hauled  thence  overland  to 
Vigan.  Owing  to  the  season  we  had  expected  to  do 
likewise,  but  last  evening  General  Bell  wired  from 
Vigan  telling  us  to  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Abra  River  and  he  would  try  to  get  us  ashore  on  his 
launch.  This  we  did,  and  were  routed  out  before 
seven  this  morning  with  advice  that  we  had  fifteen 
minutes  to  dress,  eat  breakfast,  and  get  baggage 
together  for  four  days.  The  launch  was  some  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  ship,  and  the  transfer,  which 
was  made  in  rowboats,  was  exciting.  We  crossed  the 
bar  safely,  though  the  channel  is  a  tortuous  one  and 
a  heavy  sea  was  running.  La'ter  we  shifted  to  some 
native  praos,  and  after  various  meanderings  landed 
at  the  little  village  of  Cunayan.  Here  we  were  met 
by  General  Bell  with  transportation,  a  salute  of 
seventeen  guns  being  fired  in  honor  of  the  Governor. 
It  was  a  half  hour's  ride  to  Vigan  over  muddy  roads, 
with  rain  at  intervals. 

Vigan  is  an  old  town,  said  to  have  been  founded 
in  1572.  Both  it  and  the  Ilocos  provinces  suffered 
sorely  from  the  war.  We  were  driven  directly  to  the 
place  of  meeting,  where  we  found  awaiting  us  repre- 

[295] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

sentatives  from  the  twenty-four  towns  of  the  prov- 
ince. Considering  the  condition  of  the  roads,  this 
was  remarkable.  The  meeting  differed  Httle  from 
others.  There  was  some  question  as  to  choice  for 
Provincial  Secretary,  so  the  matter  was  left  to  a  vote 
of  the  Presidents;  Senor  Ferrer,  Municipal  Secre- 
tary of  VIgan,  being  chosen. 

Vigan  is  the  military  headquarters  for  the  Second 
District,  Northern  Luzon,  In  command  of  General 
Bell.  Every  possible  arrangement  had  been  made 
by  him  for  our  entertainment,  and  there  was  not  a 
single  hitch  In  the  program.  A  cavalry  captain  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Spanish  war,  General  Bell  has 
won  his  present  rank  of  Brigadier  General,  United 
States  Army,  through  sheer  force  of  ability  and  char- 
acter. To  intrepid  courage  and  untiring  energy  he 
has  been  fortunate  in  possessing  that  other  quality 
or  virtue  lacking  In  so  many  of  our  officers  here; 
I.  e.,  a  genuine  interest  In  these  people  and  In  the 
problems  facing  our  country  In  connection  with  them. 
He  has  learned  their  language  and  their  customs;  he 
has  mixed  with  them  and  studied  their  wants,  and 
needs,  and  limitations.  Their  relentless  pursuer 
when  In  the  field,  he  has  been  their  friend  and  helper 
when  they  laid  down  their  arms.  He  has  put  in 
three  years  of  strenuous  life  In  these  islands,  and  has 
fairly  earned  his  remarkable  promotion.  He  is  a 
man  of  fine  appearance  and  pleasant  address,  and  It 
is  a  pleasure  to  have  known  him. 

Wc  were  given  a  reception  in  the  evening  by  one 
of  the  rich  Filipinos  of  VIgan.     It  was  of  the  usual 

[296] 


3 
UO 

c 


13 
1) 


P3 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

order,  except  that  the  dresses  of  the  little  sehoritas 
appeared  even  more  iridescent  than  usual. 


August  ly,  igoi. 

I  had  thought  our  trips  by  sea  and  land  had  left  us 
little  to  experience  in  the  way  of  transportation.  We 
have  now  added  another,  however,  perhaps  the  most 
interesting  of  all.  Today  we  made  the  up-river  trip 
from  Vigan  to  Bangued,  capital  of  Abra  Province, 
on  bamboo  rafts,  the  journey  occupying  from  eight 
A.  M.  until  six  of  the  afternoon.  These  rafts,  or 
balsas,  are  made  of  bamboo  poles  lashed  together, 
with  a  small  raised  platform  in  the  middle,  covered 
by  a  sort  of  prairie  schooner  canopy.  They  are 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  long,  with  the  highest 
part  of  the  body  only  a  few  inches  above  the  water. 
Each  raft  carries  from  four  to  six  people  besides 
the  natives  who  manipulate  it.  Altogether  we  had  a 
flotilla  of  twelve  rafts.  This  is  the  only  means  of 
communication  with  Abra  Province,  and  is  the  same 
today  as  it  was  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  All 
our  soldiers  with  their  supplies  have  gone  in  this 
way.  Though  but  twenty-four  miles  distant  it  is  an 
all  day  ride,  the  current  making  it  a  constant  fight. 
The  motive  power  is  the  native;  sometimes  they  pull 
and  sometimes  push;  then  they  tow  from  the  bank, 
and  again  when  crossing  the  river  in  deep  water  they 
row  with  broad  paddles.  The  river  cuts  the  moun- 
tain range  and  furnishes  magnificent  scenery,  while 
the  actions  of  our  men  and  the  sights  along  the  shore 
kept  our  interest  from  flagging. 

[297] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Bangued  is  an  interesting  old  place,  and  at  one 
time  was  quite  a  center.  The  population  is  a  mixed 
one,  consisting  of  Ilocanos,  Tinguianes,  and  Igorotes. 
We  were  quartered  with  the  military,  there  being 
eight  companies  here.  Six  of  us  —  LeRoy,  Carpen- 
ter, Morris,  Dr.  Kruger,  Mr.  Calvin,  and  I  —  are 
with  Dr.  McKay  and  Lieutenant  Knight,  and  it  is 
a  lively  crowd. 


August  i8,  igoi. 
Bangued  is  on  the  ragged  edge  of  things  civilized, 
and  revived  memories  of  the  Benguet  trip.  Their 
market  square  this  morning  was  thronged  with  a 
heterogeneous  mass  of  humanity,  and  the  crowd  that 
gathered  later  to  hear  the  gospel  of  free  govern- 
ment was  but  little  less  mixed.  There  appeared  to 
be  an  unanimous  desire  for  civil  government,  though 
it  is  doubtful  if  many  of  those  present  knew  just 
what  it  meant.  The  president  of  one  town  said 
he  had  paid  the  school  teacher  from  his  personal 
funds  and  wanted  to  know  how  he  could  get  his 
money  back,  as  there  were  but  two  pesos  in  the  treas- 
ury. It  was  in  this  province  that  Lieutenant  Gill- 
more  and  his  companions  were  held  prisoners  so 
long.  Colonel  Villamer,  former  insurrecto  leader, 
took  part  in  the  meeting  and  was  appointed  Pro- 
vincial Secretary.  Major  Bowcn,  commanding  the 
detachment,  was  made  Governor.  The  people  are 
such  a  medley,  and  the  province  so  poor,  that  the 
establishment  of  a  regular  government  is  something 

[298] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

of  an  experiment.  It  will  give  them  something  to 
think  about,  however,  and  it  gratifies  their  pride. 
There  was  a  band  concert  in  the  evening,  as  also 
some  vocal  selections  by  local  celebrities.  Later 
there  was  a  gathering  at  our  quarters  and  we  had 
music  of  our  own. 


August  ig,  igoi. 
Today  we  descended  the  Abra,  took  ship  once 
more,  and  are  now  well  on  our  way  to  Laoag,  capital 
of  Ilocos  Norte.  We  were  up  before  six,  not  alto- 
gether rested,  and  at  seven-thirty  were  at  the  river 
landing.  We  made  the  descent  in  less  than  four 
hours,  the  current  sweeping  our  little  rafts  along  at 
a  great  pace.  In  a  number  of  places  the  rapids  were 
quite  swift,  the  water  covering  all  but  the  center  of 
our  craft.  We  did  not  stop  at  Vigan,  but  continued 
to  the  river's  mouth,  where  we  took  launch  to  the 
ship.  The  passage  was  a  rough  one,  those  of  the 
party  given  to  avoirdupois  finding  the  transfer  from 
the  launch  to  a  small  boat  and  from  thence  to  the 
ship  anything  but  a  picnic.  McDonnell  missed  his 
footing  and  fell  between  the  boats,  but  fortunately 
grabbed  the  side  in  falling  and  was  pulled  out  in 
time.  The  possibility  of  mishap  remained  strong, 
however,  until  the  last  man  was  aboard.  The  sea 
has  a  nasty  roll  and  many  of  the  crowd  are  sick. 
We  are  dubious  about  the  landing  at  Laoag  tomor- 
row, which  has  no  semblance  of  a  port. 

[299] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Laoag,  August  20,  igoi. 
We  anchored  early  about  a  mile  off  the  mouth  of 
the  Pagsan  River.  The  day  was  clear,  and  we  could 
see  the  great  breakers,  crested  with  foam,  tumbling 
across  the  bar.  Our  captain  said  no  boat  could  live 
through  them,  but  he  said  the  same  thing  at  Vigan, 
and  yet  we  made  the  landing.  General  Bell  accom- 
panied us,  bringing  one  of  his  large  quartermaster 
launches.  This  latter  ventured  as  near  the  breakers 
as  possible  and  then  whistled  for  about  five  minutes. 
Presently  there  came  creeping  over  the  waters  a  long 
native  prao,  or  barangay,  thin  and  snake-like, 
manned  by  twenty  rowers,  who  slowly  fought  their 
way  over  the  mounting  waves  into  the  comparative 
calm  near  the  ship.  After  some  debate  it  was  decided 
to  make  a  try  for  it,  and  the  three  Commissioners, 
General  Bell,  Seiior  Legarda,  Mr.  Fergusson,  Mc- 
Donnell, McCormick,  Adamson,  and  myself  were 
elected  for  the  first  venture.  The  Commissioners 
sat  in  the  stern,  while  the  rest  of  us  with  the  baggage 
were  in  the  body  of  the  craft,  the  oarsmen  being 
lined  up  on  either  side  of  the  bow.  We  were  soon 
among  the  breakers  and  the  fun  began.  First  the 
stern  would  tip  up  and  then  the  bow,  the  rowers 
working  furiously  as  the  boat  settled.  As  each  suc- 
ceeding wave  towered  behind  it  was  a  gamble 
whether  it  would  break  as  it  reached  us  or  pass 
underneath.  Three,  four,  five  times  we  rode  the 
solid  crest  safely,  only  to  fall  a  victim  to  the  sixth. 
This  broke  as  it  reached  the  stern,  and  a  compact 
mass  of  green  water  shot  forward,  completely  dclug- 

[300] 


n 

n 


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^V1«-,^>L.. 


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..If?'' 


fr^^,A^^-' 


I 


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u 

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h 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

ing  the  three  Commissioners  and  wetting  all  of  us. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  our  troubles.  The  rowers, 
for  some  reason,  lost  their  stroke,  and  the  boat, 
instead  of  being  held  head  on,  began  to  swing  into 
the  trough  of  the  waves.  General  Bell  rushed  for- 
ward and  yelled  at  the  men  to  "  sigue,  sigue"  ; 
Adamson  climbed  on  some  baggage  and  beat  time 
with  his  arms,  trying  to  give  them  the  stroke;  in  the 
meantime  the  helmsman  was  also  singing  his  orders 
and  cursing  the  men.  After  some  fumbling  they  set- 
tled to  their  work  heroically  and  gradually  swung 
the  thing  back  into  line,  not,  however,  until  two  or 
three  waves  struck  us,  setting  the  baggage  afloat 
and  soaking  us  to  the  skin.  Had  that  boat  not  been 
righted  before  it  caught  the  full  force  of  those 
breakers  side  on,  the  chances  are  there  would  have 
been  big  headlines  in  the  States  papers  in  the  morn- 
ing, with  obituary  notices  of  varying  length.  With 
that  surf  running  we  would  have  swamped  dead  sure, 
and  I  doubt  if  any  swimmer  could  have  lived  in  such 
sea  and  undertow. 

We  made  the  landing  finally,  a  dilapidated  bunch, 
and  were  met  by  a  variety  of  conveyances  for  the 
four-mile  drive  to  Laoag.  Our  clothes  dried  fairly 
well  en  route,  and  we  proceeded  direct  to  the  session 
hall.  We  were  delayed  half  an  hour,  however,  wait- 
ing for  Judge  Ide  to  dry  his  shirt.  Shortly  after- 
ward the  second  installment  of  our  party  got  in, 
having  fortunately  made  the  landing  without  acci- 
dent. 

Our  original  schedule  called   for  leaving  today, 

[301  ] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

but  as  the  surf  is  usually  higher  in  the  afternoon,  it 
was  decided  to  remain  in  Laoag  overnight.  At  noon, 
however,  a  wire  was  received  telling  of  a  typhoon 
brewing  off  the  northeast  coast  of  Luzon.  As  this, 
possibly,  meant  our  being  cooped  in  Laoag  for  a 
week  or  more  unless  we  got  away  at  once,  it  was 
decided  to  return  to  th'e  ship  before  nightfall.  The 
Commission  had  some  trouble  in  deciding  upon  its 
appointees,  and,  instead  of  getting  away  at  four,  as 
expected,  it  was  five-thirty  before  the  meeting  ad- 
journed and  a  start  was  made  for  the  landing.  It 
was  the  evil  luck  of  some  of  us  —  Carpenter,  LeRoy, 
Schlotfeldt,  Calvin,  Morris,  and  I  —  to  get  a  driver 
who  knew  nothing  of  the  road  and  little  about  driv- 
ing. We  had  a  four-mule  team,  and  the  first  move 
of  our  driver  was  to  go  half  a  mile  beyond  the  river 
crossing.  It  developed  finally  that  he  didn't  know 
where  the  ford  was,  and  considerable  delay  resulted 
in  getting  information.  After  we  did  cross,  he  took 
the  long  way  round,  adding  a  couple  of  unnecessary 
miles.  He  showed  no  disposition  to  hurry,  and, 
having  no  whip,  the  mules  also  took  their  own  time. 
We  were  still  over  a  mile  out  at  sunset,  with  a  dark 
bank  of  clouds  working  up  from  the  south.  A  bit 
further  on  we  met  the  vehicles  which  had  carried 
the  rest  of  the  party.  General  Bell  was  quite  sur- 
prised when  he  saw  us,  and  told  us  to  hurry.  He 
detailed  an  ofl'icer  to  return  with  us,  who  succeeded 
in  infusing  a  little  life  into  our  driver  —  and  the 
other  mules.  Reaching  the  river,  we  found  the 
others  already  gone  and  only  a  small  harangay  with 

[302] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

some  eight  rowers  at  the  pier.  Night  had  now 
fallen,  a  pale  moon  and  a  few  stars  shining  along 
the  edge  of  the  rising  storm  clouds.  We  started 
down  the  river  at  once,  urging  the  rowers  to  their 
best,  but  they  were  too  few  to  make  rapid  headway. 
Reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  the  swell 
began  and  the  boom  of  the  breakers  grew  louder, 
our  oarsmen  turned  about  and  flatly  refused  to  go 
further,  saying  they  were  too  few  to  ride  the  surf. 
As  none  of  them  understood  either  Spanish  or  Eng- 
lish, it  made  the  situation  quite  exasperating.  Just 
at  this  time,  when  the  outlook  was  most  discourag- 
ing, the  praos  which  had  carried  the  others  loomed 
darkly  on  the  waves,  returning  from  the  ship.  We 
hailed  them,  and  with  considerable  difficulty  pre- 
vailed on  one  of  them  to  take  us  aboard.  They 
didn't  want  to  return,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
would  have  done  so  had  not  a  soldier  happened 
aboard,  who  simply  pushed  those  overboard  who 
showed  reluctance,  replacing  them  with  others.  Four 
new  men  were  drafted,  and  we  started  with  twenty 
rowers.  To  cheer  us  on  our  way  the  soldier  (who 
did  not  return)  said  that  the  others  came  near 
drowning,  and  that  everybody  had  gotten  wet.  Out 
we  went,  however,  the  tops  of  the  waves  looming 
white  through  the  gathering  darkness  and  the  roar 
of  the  surf  filling  our  ears.  This  time,  however, 
there  was  no  wavering  on  the  part  of  crew  or  cap- 
tain. Whether  nerved  by  the  night  and  danger,  or 
profiting  by  their  previous  trips,  we  rode  the  giant 
waves  swiftly  and  safely,  only  one  splash  of  water 

[303] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

coming  aboard.  We  fared  better  than  the  others. 
They  made  the  trip  in  two  sections,  one  of  the  praos 
being  nearly  swamped,  while  the  other  had  a  hole 
stove  in  the  bottom  and  was  only  kept  from  sinking 
by  McCormick  taking  off  his  clothes  and  stopping 
the  leak  with  them.  Altogether  they  had  a  serious 
and  almost  tragic  time  of  it.  We  were  not  missed 
until  noses  were  counted  aboard,  and  then  our  delay 
was  unaccountable.  They  doubted  we  would  ven- 
ture out  after  nightfall,  and  their  surprise  was  great 
when  we  showed  up.  Owing  to  the  threatened 
typhoon  it  was  imperative  that  the  ship  get  away^ 
and  had  we  been  delayed  another  half  hour,  they 
would  have  sailed  without  us.  Thus  are  provincial 
governments  organized  in  the  Philippines. 


August  21,  igoi. 
The  scheduled  storm  did  not  break,  and  we 
anchored  off  Aparri  early  this  morning  beneath  a 
cloudless  sky.  Aparri  is  at  the  extreme  north  of 
Luzon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cayagan  River,  one  of 
the  largest  streams  of  the  Archipelago.  More  than 
half  the  large  tobacco  crop  of  the  islands  is  grown 
in  the  Cayagan  Valley,  which  is  noted  for  its  fertil- 
ity and  richness.  The  Compaiiia  Tabacalera  has 
big  interests  here,  and  maintains  a  line  of  boats  on 
the  river,  one  of  which  is  to  take  us  on  our  two 
days'  journey  inland.  Aparri  itself  is  on  a  jutting 
sand  point  reaching  out  into  the  ocean,  and  does  not 
impress  one  as  a  very  desirable  place  to  live. 

r  3^4  ] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Shortly  after  eight  we  transferred  to  the  river 
steamer  and  started  up  the  Cagayan.  All  day  long 
we  steamed  up  that  magnificent  waterway,  the  green, 
luxuriant  valley  to  either  side,  flanked  by  the  dark 
hills  beyond.  The  air  was  fresh,  the  chairs  com- 
fortable, the  lunch  good  —  a  perfect  day  and  a  per- 
fect scene,  furnishing  a  restful  change  from  the 
stress  of  the  days  just  gone.  We  saw  considerable 
native  life,  both  in  passing  boats  and  in  the  little 
villages  along  the  banks.  Most  of  the  people  were 
gathered  on  the  shore  as  we  passed,  the  local  band 
being  always  in  attendance. 

We  reached  the  Tuguegarao  landing  shortly  after 
sunset,  followed  by  a  four-mile  drive  to  the  town. 
Some  delay  was  experienced  in  assigning  the  party, 
as  the  commanding  officer  had  not  been  advised  of 
our  number.  The  German  Consul,  Mr.  Calvin, 
Morris,  and  I  found  a  home  with  the  head  of  the 
Alhambra  Tobacco  Company,  who  entertained  us 
royally. 


August  22,  igoi. 
Tuguegarao,  capital  of  the  Cagayan  province, 
took  a  holiday  today.  Our  session  was  an  interest- 
ing one,  with  plenty  of  local  color.  The  people  were 
rather  a  superior  lot,  and  followed  the  proceedings 
closely.  There  has  been  little  real  trouble  in  the 
province.  A  large  banquet  and  ha'ile  were  had  in 
the  evening,  giving  the  feminine  portion  of  the  town 
a  chance  to  shine.  Some  thirty  of  them  were  out, 
arrayed  in  all  the  gorgeousness  of  Filipino  finery. 

[305] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

August  2^,  igoi. 

We  were  up  at  five  today,  but,  despite  the  early 
hour,  the  river  bank  was  crowded  when  we  made  our 
start  for  Ilagan,  capital  of  Isabela.  We  took  break- 
fast on  the  boat  and  It  would  be  hard  to  Imagine  a 
more  delightful  environment.  The  broad  river,  the 
green  valley,  and  the  white,  drifting  clouds  against 
the  background  of  the  mountains  furnished  an  Ideal 
setting.  There  Is  a  grandeur  about  this  river  that 
Inspires  one.  Today,  as  yesterday,  the  little  villages 
en  route  had  built  arches  and  were  down  In  force  to 
watch  us  go  by.  They  had  expended  considerable 
time  and  money  on  their  decorations,  and  our  con- 
tribution seemed  very  Inadequate. 

As  we  sailed  along  we  saw  great  stretches  of 
country  entirely  without  sign  of  cultivation.  This 
wonderful  valley,  richer  In  its  potentialities  of  wealth 
than  the  delta  of  the  Nile  or  the  fertile  plains  of  the 
Ganges,  is  practically  uninhabited.  Its  few  towns 
and  villages  are  peopled  largely  by  Importations 
from  the  Ilocos  and  other  provinces,  brought  In 
originally  to  work  upon  the  scattered  tobacco  estates, 
formerly  a  government  monopoly.  The  conception 
held  by  many  that  the  Philippines  have  the  congested 
population  usual  In  Oriental  countries  Is  altogether 
erroneous.  The  approximate  population  of  the  Phil- 
ippines Is  about  sixty-six  to  the  square  mile,  as  com- 
pared to  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  Java,  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety  in  Japan,  and  two  hundred  In  India. 
Less  than  thirty-five  per  cent  of  the  land  in  the 
islands  is  even  claimed  in  private  ownership,  it  being 

[306] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

estimated  that  there  still  remain  under  state  control 
over  seventy  million  acres  of  virgin  land.  It  is  an 
empire  of  unlimited  possibilities,  awaiting  only  the 
magic  touch  of  capital  and  enterprise  to  yield  untold 
treasure.  ■ — 

We  reached  Ilagan  shortly  after  two,  the  plan 
being  to  drive  to  the  hacienda  of  the  Tabacalera 
Company  (some  eight  miles  out),  spend  the  night 
there,  and  return  to  Ilagan  in  the  morning.  We  were 
advised,  however,  that  many  of  the  delegates  had 
been  in  town  over  three  days,  and  had  made  prep- 
arations to  entertain  us  that  evening.  Our  program 
was  changed  accordingly,  and,  khaki-clad  and  travel- 
stained,  as  we  were,  we  drove  direct  to  the  place  of 
meeting. 

The  afternoon  was  hot  —  indeed,  one  of  the  hot- 
test we  have  experienced  on  any  of  our  trips.  The 
session  was  held  in  the  home  of  the  president, 
where  the  people  packed  In  suffocating  numbers.  As 
Governor  Taft  and  associates  ascended  the  steps 
flowers  were  scattered  upon  them,  and  two  or  three 
enterprising  sehoritas  opened  some  bottles  of  per- 
fume and  deluged  them  with  the  contents.  Taken 
in  small  doses,  it  may  have  been  good  perfume,  but 
in  quantities  it  was  a  vile  stuff  and  made  the  recipi- 
ents smell  for  the  afternoon  like  a  wrecked  drug 
store.  The  session  lasted  some  three  hours,  and 
hot  Is  no  name  for  It.  The  principal  topic  was 
whether  Nueva  VIzcaya  should  be  united  with  Isa- 
bela.  It  was  later  decided  not  to  unite  the  prov- 
inces, as  the  mixed  character  of  the  peoples  of  Nueva 

[307] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Vizcaya  made  a  special  form  of  government  neces- 
sary. 

The  entertainment  of  our  party  was  taken  in  hand 
by  the  natives.  One  family  had  arranged  to  enter- 
tain the  three  Commissioners,  Mr.  Fergusson,  and 
myself.  Two  rooms  had  been  set  aside,  one  with 
three  beds  and  the  other  with  two.  Commissioners 
Worcester  and  Ide  shied  at  the  proposition.  Gov- 
ernor Taft  accepted,  however,  and  Mr.  Fergusson, 
Mr.  Carpenter,  and  I  filled  in.  The  beds  were 
gorgeous  affairs,  almost  too  fine  to  sleep  in.  There 
was  the  usual  banquet  and  haile,  though  the  night 
was  too  warm  for  the  best  results  in  dancing. 


August  2^,  igoi. 

Today  has  been  hot  and  strenuous,  but  interest- 
ing. The  morning  session  lasted  but  an  hour,  there 
being  nothing  to  do  but  make  the  appointments  to 
office.  We  started  immediately  afterward  for  the 
hacienda  "San  Antonio,"  property  of  the  Tabaca- 
lera  Company.  Some  of  the  crowd  drove  in  ambu- 
lances, the  rest  going  on  horseback.  The  road  was 
a  rough  one,  and  the  sun  beat  down  mercilessly. 
Our  mounts  were  regular  farm  horses  and  galloped 
like  cows.  The  detachment  here  is  one  of  mounted 
infantry,  and  the  men  know  absolutely  nothing  about 
horses.  I  have  ridden  many  brands  of  caballos,  but 
never  one  whose  gait  was  so  fearfully  up  and  down 
as  the  one  I  rode  today. 

The  hacienda  contains  about  seventeen  thousand 
acres,  being  the  largest  of  the  estates  owned  by  the 

[308] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COiMMlSSlON 

company  in  this  valley.  The  manager's  house  is  a 
two-story  structure  with  a  wide  veranda  and  over- 
looks miles  of  plain  and  bottom  land.  All  the  em- 
ployees (and  the  estate  supports  a  veritable  colony) 
had  gathered  to  witness  our  coming,  there  being  the 
customary  arches,  bands,  flags,  etc.  All  the  local 
managers  from  up  and  down  the  valley  were  present, 
making  quite  a  gathering.  Tiffin  was  served  on  the 
veranda,  and  there  was  nothing  lacking  in  the  way 
of  food  and  drink.  Naturally  there  was  nothing 
lacking  in  the  smoking  line.  It  was  a  cosmopolitan 
crowd,  many  of  those  present  having  spent  the  better 
part  of  their  lives  in  the  Far  East,  with  a  knowledge 
of  Oriental  problems  and  peoples  gained  at  first 
hand.  Later  we  visited  the  tobacco  warehouses  and 
had  many  new  things  explained  to  us.  Truth  to  tell, 
however,  our  party  was  pretty  well  tired  out.  Lack 
of  sleep,  banquets  and  bailes,  new  people  and  places, 
rapid  changes,  the  heat,  etc.,  had  begun  to  tell.  Some 
of  the  crowd  started  back  in  the  ambulances  before 
dinner,  among  them  a  few  of  our  ambitious  horse- 
men of  earlier  in  the  day.  It  had  been  arranged 
for  the  Commissioners  and  a  few  other  heavy- 
weights to  go  down  the  river  by  moonlight,  after 
dinner.  Five  of  us  decided  to  see  the  thing  through 
on  horseback,  even  if  we  had  to  stand  to  eat  our 
meals  for  a  week.  We  had  a  big  spread  In  the  eve- 
ning, but  did  not  tackle  it  with  the  avidity  of  the  mid- 
day meal.  Among  the  dishes  w-as  some  "alligator 
steak,"  the  said  alligator  having  been  killed  during 
the  afternoon.     Most  of  us  approached  it  with  diffi- 

[309] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

dence,  but  nearly  everyone  tried  it.  When  ready 
to  leave  we  found  that  our  escort  had  been  enter- 
tained not  wisely  but  too  well  and  were  all  drunk. 
Morris,  Schlodtfeldt,  Carpenter,  LeRoy,  and  I 
started  off  alone.  I  succeeded  in  purloining  a  new 
horse,  but  he  was  little  better  than  the  old  one. 
LeRoy  also  made  a  change,  but  fared  worse.  We 
started  out  at  a  gallop  and  beat  over  the  road  with- 
out slackening  speed,  making  the  ride  in  little  over 
an  hour.  The  night  was  a  splendid  moonlight  one, 
but  the  conditions  did  not  permit  our  observing  its 
beauties  closely.  Considering  the  nature  of  the  road, 
we  were  fortunate  in  getting  through  without  acci- 
dent. We  reached  town  tired,  dusty,  and  covered 
with  perspiration. 

On  leaving  the  meeting  that  morning  I  had  turned 
over  to  the  vice-president  a  small  valise  containing 
various  important  papers  —  among  them  the  record 
of  all  the  provinces  organized  on  this  journey  —  tell- 
ing him  to  have  it  sent  down  to  the  house.  When 
we  got  in  —  about  eleven  P.  M. —  the  valise  was  not 
there.  As  we  were  scheduled  to  rise  at  5  130  in  the 
morning  and  leave  at  six,  the  situation  was  not  a 
happy  one.  I  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  preparing 
the  record  of  all  those  meetings  from  memory,  which 
is  about  what  I  would  have  had  to  do  if  the  grip 
was  lost.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  for  scouring  the  town 
for  It  at  that  hour.  As  everybody  in  the  place  was 
abed  and  asleep,  I  felt  unequal  to  the  excitement  his 
project  involved.  I  thought  it  better  to  get  a  little 
sleep  and  take  a  chance  at  it  in  the  morning. 

[310] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

August  25,  igoi. 

I  got  up  this  morning  feeling  as  sore  as  Don 
Quixote  after  his  encounter  with  the  windmills.  My 
first  concern  was  for  the  missing  valise.  After  stir- 
ring up  a  number  of  people,  and  getting  them  prop- 
erly excited,  the  valise  was  discovered  at  the  house 
occupied  by  the  other  Commissioners.  It  was  un- 
earthed just  as  we  were  starting  for  the  landing. 

Having  the  current  with  us,  we  made  the  descent 
to  Aparri  in  one  day,  reaching  there  at  six  in  the 
evening.  The  ride  was  particularly  pleasant,  as  we 
were  all  tired  enough  to  loaf  and  thoroughly  enjoy 
It.  We  saw  today  several  carabao  rafts.  They  con- 
sist of  four  or  five  bamboo  poles  lashed  together,  to 
which  the  carabao  Is  hitched.  The  family  gets  on 
the  raft,  stack  their  goods  and  chattels  on  their 
heads,  and  the  carabao  is  started  across  the  river, 
little  more  than  his  nose  being  above  water.  The 
people  sit  in  the  water  up  to  their  arms,  their  weight 
sinking  the  raft  below  the  surface. 

Too  high  praise  cannot  be  given  Mr.  Weber, 
manager  of  the  Tobacco  Company,  for  the  manner 
In  which  he  has  arranged  this  river  trip.  The  serv- 
ice has  been  perfect,  and  everything  moved  smoothly. 
We  took  dinner  on  the  Aldecoa.  There  was  some 
talk  of  an  entertainment  ashore,  but  it  was  unani- 
mously vetoed. 


Aparri,  August  26,  igoi. 
As  Governor  Taft  had  promised  the  people  of 
Aparri  to  stop  with  them  on  the  return  trip,  we  all 

[311] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

went  ashore  this  morning.  Most  elaborate  prepara- 
tions had  been  made  to  receive  us,  and  our  reception 
was  enthusiastic.  Colonel  Hood,  who  is  in  com- 
mand, seems  to  have  inspired  the  confidence  of  the 
people  and  to  have  done  good  work  among  them. 
We  went  in  procession  from  the  landing  through 
the  town,  finally  stopping  at  Colonel  Hood's  quar- 
ters, where  there  was  handshaking  and  speeches, 
followed  later  by  a  banquet  and  dancing.  There 
was  woe  and  disappointment,  particularly  among  the 
ladies,  when  it  was  learned  that  we  expected  to  leave 
at  three  o'clock.  A  bevy  of  them  surrounded  Judge 
Taft  and  begged  and  pleaded  with  him  to  stay  until 
twelve  that  night.  This  was  a  rather  unusual  pro- 
ceeding for  Filipino  women,  and  made  us  think  we 
were  back  home.  They  would  all  talk  at  once,  and 
when  Mr.  Fergusson  started  to  interpret,  they  would 
break  in  on  him  before  he  was  half  through  and 
simply  overwhelm  him  with  words.  As  to  stay 
longer  meant  the  loss  of  a  day  in  our  itinerary,  their 
pleading  was  in  vain.  We  went  aboard  at  three  and 
sailed  at  four.  Father  Aglipay  came  near  being  left, 
the  boat  having  to  be  stopped  for  him  after  it  was 
under  way.  We  do  not  reach  Iba  until  tomorrow 
night,  which  gives  us  a  chance  to  pull  together,  after 
our  five  days'  hike  up  the  river. 


August  28,  igoi. 
Yesterday  was  spent  at  sea,  the  weather  proving 
a  decided  improvement  over  the  up-trip.     Today  we 

[312] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

succeeded  in  making  a  landing  at  Iba  and  organized 
a  government  for  Zambales.  The  place  is  small, 
the  province  occupying  a  narrow  strip  between  the 
coast  range  and  the  sea  and  being  almost  inaccessi- 
ble. It  has  but  one  good  port,  Subic,  and  its  roads 
are  miserable.  Though  within  twelve  hours  of 
Manila  by  sea,  the  officers  and  men  have  not  re- 
ceived any  mail  for  a  month.  Few  vessels  have  any 
occasion  to  stop  at  Iba,  and,  if  they  do,  can  seldom 
effect  a  landing. 

Our  meeting  today  was  the  usual  one,  being  held 
in  the  village  church,  furnishing  a  large,  cool  hall, 
better  than  most  places  we  have  visited.  The  people 
had  planned  a  banquet  for  the  evening,  but  we  were 
compelled  to  go  aboard  early,  before  the  sea  became 
boisterous.  A  dinner  was  given  at  2:30,  and  at 
4:30  we  were  safely  aboard  and  bound  for  Manila. 
This  will  end  our  "  Provincial  Tours."  Including 
Benguet,  we  have  organized  thirty-four  provinces, 
and  in  our  journeyings  have  visited  and  held  ses- 
sions with  the  people  of  forty-three  different  places. 
Whatever  may  be  the  result  of  the  work  done,  and 
however  it  may  be  viewed  by  different  persons,  it 
has  been  done  with  true  motives  and  with  an  earnest 
and  sincere  desire  to  serve  and  help  these  people. 


Manila,  August  2g,  igoi. 
We  awoke  today  in  Manila  Bay,  and  it  was  good 
to  see  again  the  green  frontage  of  the  Malecon,  the 
wide  expanse  of  the  Luneta,  and  the  white  and  red 

[313] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

of  the  old  Convento  buildings  in  the  Walled  City. 
It  is  a  picture  that  grows  on  one  the  more  he  be- 
comes saturated  with  the  life  of  this  country.  At 
eight  we  had  scattered  to  our  different  homes,  unan- 
imous in  saying  we  had  had  a  great  journey,  but 
with  no  regrets  that  it  was  over.  While  the  most 
interesting  we  have  taken,  it  has  also  been  the 
hardest. 


[314] 


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> 


XVI 

THE  MACHINERY  IN  MOTION 

Manila,  September  1 1,  igoi. 
TTT'E  HAVE  settled  back  once  more  to  grinding 
"  "  out  "aws,  and  to  considering  the  multitudinous 
petitions  and  suggestions  of  a  people  more  prolific 
in  precept  than  in  practice.  Some  of  these  petitions 
are  literary  curiosities,  particularly  those  written  In 
English.  The  method  evidently  employed  is  to  first 
draft  them  In  Spanish  and  then  write  above  each 
word  the  dictionary  equivalent  In  English,  no  account 
being  taken  of  the  different  construction  of  the  two 
languages.  This  literal  rendering  of  the  Spanish 
is  then  copied  and  submitted  for  our  enlightenment. 
One  ardent  writer,  seeking  to  say  that  he  was  "  sigh- 
ing" for  liberty,  picked  the  wrong  equivalent  for  the 
Spanish  word  suspirar  (to  sigh)  and  said  he  was 
gap'nig  for  liberty. 

The  tariff  bill  prepared  by  the  Commission,  and 
sent  to  Washington  for  suggestion,  has  been  re- 
turned with  some  few  changes.  It  has  been  consid- 
ered In  executive  session  for  the  past  two  days,  and 
public  discussion  commences  this  morning;  this  will 
likely  last  three  or   four  days.      Mr.  W.   Morgan 

[315] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Shuster,  the  new  Collector  of  Customs,  brought  the 
bill  from  Washington  and  is  assisting  in  the  discus- 
sion. With  him  came  Mr.  Charles  A,  Conant,  an 
expert  on  coinage  and  banking,  who  is  to  prepare  a 
report  on  the  currency  situation  of  the  islands.  Cer- 
tainly something  is  necessary  to  relieve  us  of  the 
present  chaotic  condition  of  our  money.  After  this 
comes  the  Criminal  Code  and  Code  of  Criminal  Pro- 
cedure, prepared  by  Commissioner  Wright,  which 
it  will  likely  take  some  time  to  whip  into  popular 
shape.  In  addition  to  this  current  work,  the  Com- 
mission is  supposed  to  have  its  Annual  Report  ready 
to  forward  on  October  fifteenth,  so  that  it  may  reach 
Washington  in  time  for  reference  to  Congress  De- 
cember first.  This  report  is  to  include  not  only  a 
resume  of  what  has  been  done  during  the  year,  but 
also  recommendations  covering  future  Congres- 
sional action.  This  latter  feature  may  have  far- 
re  .ching  consequences,  and  cannot  be  done  between 
two  days. 
•  Interest  during  the  past  two  weeks  has  centered 
somewhat  on  the  six  hundred  teachers  who  arrived 
on  the  Thomas.  They  are  quartered  in  some  nipa 
buildings  on  the  Exposition  grounds,  and  are  getting 
their  first  taste  of  pioneering.  They  are  being  dis- 
tributed to  the  provinces  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and 
there  has  been  some  weeping  over  the  assignments. 
Well,  they  are  not  in  for  any  further  picnic.  Thus 
far  they  have  had  a  good  time,  for  it  is  no  small 
experience  to  most  of  them  —  that  trip  across  the 
States,  the  stop  in  San  Francisco,  the  ride  across  the 

[316] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

Pacific,  and  the  new  and  strange  life  of  Manila. 
The  chances  are  they  will  find  existence  in  the  small 
interior  pueblos,  where  there  will  be  few  if  any 
Americans  besides  themselves,  and  where  they  will 
have  none  of  the  comforts  and  social  diversions  to 
which  they  are  used,  altogether  different  from  what 
they  pictured.  The  life  is  apt  to  grow  deadly  monot- 
onous, and  it  will  take  something  of  the  missionary 
and  of  the  Spartan  to  enable  them  to  stick  it  out. 
Their  opportunities  for  doing  good  work  are  great, 
however.  The  cry  has  gone  up  all  over  the  land 
for  schools  and  school  teachers,  and,  if  they  exercise 
tact  and  intelligence,  their  influences  in  moulding  the 
thought  of  the  people  will  be  extraordinary.  I  have 
no  doubt  many  of  them  will  rise  to  their  oppor- 
tunities, and  the  future  will  mark  their  greatness. 

The  addition  of  Messrs.  Tavera,  Legarda,  and 
Luzuriaga  to  the  Commission  on  September  first 
has  undoubtedly  created  a  good  impression  among 
the  people.  Tavera  and  Legarda  speak  English 
fairly  well,  but  Sr.  Luzuriaga  does  not.  This  ren- 
ders our  sessions  (executive)  rather  tedious,  as 
everything  said  must  be  interpreted.  I  believe  the 
move  to  be  a  good  one,  however. 

There  has  been  considerable  agitation  among  the 
Filipinos  recently  over  the  organization  of  new 
political  parties.  They  are  never  so  happy  as  when 
mixing  in  politics,  and  as  they  all  want  to  be  at  the 
head  of  something,  it  requires  numerous  parties  to 
satisfy  them.  The  Federal  Party,  the  first  organ- 
ized, has  the  advantage  of  being  early  in  the  field 

[317] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

and  of  representing  the  sane  and  sober  element  of 
the  community.  As  opposed  to  this  there  sprang 
up  the  "Conservative"  Party,  whose  exact  political 
creed  I  have  never  been  able  to  fathom.  A  Seiior 
Poblete  has  now  launched  what  is  known  as  the 
"  National  Party,"  which  has,  though  rather  veiled, 
the  ultimate  design  of  securing  the  independence  of 
the  islands  under  a  protectorate.  The  whole  busi- 
ness appears  somewhat  ridiculous  —  this  organizing 
of  parties  before  there  is  a  government,  and  before 
they  really  know  what  the  designs  of  the  United 
States  toward  them  are. 

In  his  speech  upon  swearing  in  the  new  Commis- 
sioners, Governor  Taft  spoke  rather  plainly  to  these 
professional  party  organizers.  He  said  the  Amer- 
ican Government  was  not  opposed  to  political  par- 
ties, for  it  recognized  that  it  was  through  them  the 
various  sentiments  of  the  people  found  expression. 
He  did  think,  however,  that  the  time  was  not  ripe 
here  to  indulge  in  "theories  of  government."  He 
said  the  Commission  was  laboring  day  and  night  try- 
ing to  bring  order  out  of  chaos;  that  these  party 
organizers,  engaged  in  developing  beautiful  ideals^ 
had  better  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel  and  help 
place  the  present  system  on  a  firm  basis.  If  they 
found  fault  with  the  laws  which  were  being  passed 
by  the  Commission,  let  them  offer  amendments  and 
changes,  or  suggest  other  legislation  which  they 
thought  would  assist  in  accomplishing  the  result  at 
which  the  Commission  was  aiming;  then,  after  a 
stable  government  was  organized,  and  after  peace 

[318] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

and  order  and  tranquillity  had  been  achieved,  they 
might  develop  their  theories  as  to  what  an  ideal  gov- 
ernment should  be.  Now  the  question  was  a  prac- 
tical one  and  not  one  for  dreaming.  It  was  a  good 
talk  and  came  with  a  jolt  to  some  of  these  would-be 
statesmen. 

What  they  all  want  is  office,  and  their  personal 
feelings  and  interests  are  always  paramount.  While 
their  professions  are  of  the  best  —  and  frequently 
their  intentions  at  the  time  —  they  are  easily  swayed 
in  their  opinions,  and  it  is  impossible  to  tell  at 
what  unexpected  place  they  will  break  out  next. 
They  lose  sight  of  practical  things  in  chasing  rain- 
bows and  shadows,  and  without  a  strong  hand  to 
guide  them  and  direct  their  energies  would  be  apt  to 
fly  off  at  a  tangent.  Our  hardest  task  here  will  be 
to  save  these  people  from  themselves.  Their  ten- 
dency is  to  want  things  too  soon.  If  much  is  given 
them,  they  cry  for  more,  with  the  chance  that  they 
will  get  it  and  by  misuse  give  room  to  say  that  they 
are  incapable  of  any  measure  of  self-government. 
The  danger  is  not  that  we  will  give  the  Filipinos  too 
little,  but  that  we  will  give  them  too  much  at  this 
stage  of  their  development. 

The  last  few  days  brought  us  news  of  the  at- 
tempted assassination  of  President  McKinley.  It 
came  with  a  terrible  shock  here,  as  it  must  every- 
where. Our  latest  news  is  encouraging  and  holds 
out  the  prospect  of  recovery.  We  trust  it  may  be 
so,  and  that  his  assassin,  and  all  like  him,  may  be 
exterminated. 

[319] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Manila,  October  i,  igoi. 
The  same  pace  is  still  being  set  in  our  work,  with 
October  sixteenth,  when  the  Annual  Report  of  the 
Commission  is  to  be  forwarded,  as  a  temporary  goal. 
The  account  of  the  provincial  organization  is  to  be 
included,  and  I  have  no  alternative  but  to  dig  it  out 
of  my  notes.     I  have  ten  or  twelve  provinces  left, 
and  it  seems  impossible  to  find  time  to  condense  them 
for  the  record.     We  are  still  waiting  for  stenogra- 
phers, and  have  gone  into  the  byways  and  hedges 
trying  to  borrow  or  steal  them.     Governor  Taft  is 
ill,  and  is  doing  most  of  his  work  in  bed.     I  have  a 
slight  attack  of  malaria,  and  my  voice  has  a  habit 
of  running  down  to  a  whisper  early  in  the  afternoon. 
The  work  has  been  hard  and  continuous  now  for 
over  a  year,   the   Commission  having  taken   active 
charge  September  first,  1900.     It  is  difficult  to  esti- 
mate what  has  been  done  in  that  time  and  is  now 
doing.     In  legislative  work  alone  some  two  hundred 
and  forty-eight  laws  have  been  passed,  most  of  them 
having  to  be  shaped  to  meet  new  and  untried  condi- 
tions.   A  new  government  is  being  created  from  the 
ground  up,  piece  being  added  to  piece  as  the  days  and 
weeks  go  by.     It  is  an  interesting  phenomenon,  this 
thing   of   building   a   modern   commonwealth   on   a 
foundation    of    medievalism  —  the    giving    to    this 
country  at  one  fell  swoop  all  the  innovations  and 
discoveries  which  have  marked  centuries  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  push  and  energy.     I  doubt  if  in  the  world's 
history  anything  similar  has  been  attempted;  that 
is,    the   transplanting   so    rapidly   of   the    ideas   and 

[320] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

improvements  of  one  civilization  upon  another.  The 
whole  fabric  is  being  made  over;  scarcely  anything  is 
left  as  it  was.  Having  started  to  mend  the  machin- 
ery, we  have  found  that  all  the  parts  must  be  re- 
placed in  order  to  make  the  thing  move.  No  doubt 
the  pace  is  a  little  warm  for  these  people,  but,  having 
entered  the  course,  there  is  nothing  left  now  but  to 
run  the  race. 

The  trials  and  tribulations  involved  can  hardly  be 
appreciated  by  those  not  on  the  ground.  Aside  from 
the  material  upon  which  we  have  to  work — "half 
devil  and  half  child" — there  is  the  other  heart- 
breaking condition  —  lack  of  proper  tools.  To 
spring  a  full-blown  system  of  government  on  so 
large  a  population  as  this  requires  many  men  to 
operate  the  different  parts,  and  the  hardest  thing  to 
encounter  today,  as  in  the  days  of  Diogenes,  is  a 
perfectly  capable  and  honest  man.  Provinces  are 
started  on  their  way,  the  people  eager  and  anxious 
for  the  blessings  they  imagine  are  to  flow  from 
civil  government;  some  incompetent  person,  either 
through  lack  of  tact  or  principle,  brings  the  whole 
scheme  into  discredit,  and  the  people  become  sullen 
and  reactionary. 

The  best  men  found  available  anywhere  have  been 
used  for  official  positions,  and  most  have  proven 
conscientious  and  capable  —  but  some  have  not.  We 
are  on  trial  before  these  people,  if  not  before  the 
world,  and  it  comes  hard  to  see  the  work  hampered 
and  delayed  through  the  selfishness  and  incompe- 
tency   of    individuals.      Giving    due    credit    to    our 

[321] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

friends  the  military  for  suppressing  the  insurrection, 
they  have  assisted  little  in  that  wider  work  under- 
taken by  our  government  of  winning  these  people 
to  a  sympathetic  cooperation  in  bringing  orderly  gov- 
ernment out  of  the  chaos  resulting  from  years  of 
war  and  disrupted  industry.  They  hang  on  to  their 
dictatorial  powers  as  though  that  was  the  end  of 
government.  The  Commission  has  maintained  no 
press  agent,  either  here  or  at  home,  and  the  criti- 
cisms of  its  work  and  policy  have  remained  largely 
unanswered.  The  American  public,  so  far  as  it  has 
concerned  itself  at  all  with  the  problem  here,  has 
apparently  taken  the  attitude  that  we  are  unduly 
restricting  the  liberties  and  privileges  of  a  struggling 
people. 

Such  persons  know  little  or  nothing  about  the 
actual  situation,  and,  while  capable  of  being  im- 
mensely practical  where  their  personal  or  private 
interests  are  concerned,  they  can  be  the  most  fool- 
ishly sentimental  and  impractical  when  treating  of 
the  interests  of  others. 

Despite  all  obstacles,  however,  a  tremendous 
change  has  been  worked  in  the  sentiment  of  these 
people  toward  our  sovereignty  during  the  past  year. 
I  sincerely  believe  that  the  great  majority  of  them 
are  now  convinced  that  we  are  not  here  to  exploit 
them,  and  are  earnest  in  our  desire  to  advance  their 
interests,  both  politically  and  materially.  In  any  esti- 
mate of  this  remarkable  transformation  of  opinion, 
too  much  stress  cannot  be  placed  upon  the  personal- 
ity of  the  Commission,  and  particularly  upon  that  of 

[322] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMiMISSlON 

Governor  Taft,  its  President.  With  a  people  accus- 
tomed to  relying  little  upon  what  is  told  them,  but 
a  great  deal  upon  the  manner  of  the  telling,  the 
influence  of  his  genial  smile  and  hearty  laugh,  his 
patience,  his  sincerity,  his  tact,  and  his  evident  inter- 
est in  their  welfare,  has  counted  more  in  winning 
their  cooperation  and  good  will  than  all  the  procla- 
mations which  could  have  been  issued.  They  have 
learned  to  know  that  what  he  says  is  true,  and  that 
from  first  to  last  he  has  labored  and  is  laboring  for 
them,  placing  their  interests  and  their  wishes,  so  far 
as  possible,  above  all  else.  To  few  has  it  been  given 
to  conquer  in  so  short  a  time  the  hostility  and  antag- 
onism of  practically  a  whole  race,  and  to  transform 
into  affectionate  regard  the  distrust  of  a  beaten 
people.  Our  country  can  never  be  sufficiently  thank- 
ful that  he  was  appointed  to  lead  the  destinies  of 
these  islands  during  this  transition  period.  He  has 
impressed  his  personality  upon  the  situation,  and 
given  a  trend  to  the  current  of  affairs  which  can 
never  be  altogether  changed,  and  which  will  redound 
to  the  benefit  of  the  Filipino  people  and  to  the  credit 
of  our  country  through  all  time. 

Since  my  last  was  written  the  news  of  President 
McKinley's  death  came  to  us.  It  has  been  felt  here 
keenly,  both  by  Americans  and  natives,  for  I  believe 
the  Filipinos  had  come  to  feel  that  their  interests 
were  near  to  the  heart  of  the  President.  While  I 
do  not  think  our  general  policy  here  will  be  affected, 
the  possibility  of  it  just  at  this  time  of  nation  build- 
ing is  unfortunate. 

[323] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

U.  S.  Transport  Sheridan, 
En  Route  Manila  to  Nagasaki, 

October  20,  igoi. 

When  you  receive  this  letter  I  will  be  close  behind 
It.  That  this  is  so  cannot  be  more  of  a  surprise  to 
you  than  it  is  to  me.  It  has  all  come  about  through 
the  Annual  Report  of  the  Commission.  Work,  as  the 
Commission  would  upon  it,  the  sailing  date  of  the 
transport  drew  nigh  with  much  yet  to  be  done.  It 
was  imperative,  however,  that  it  be  in  the  hands  of 
the  Secretary  of  War  before  the  meeting  of  Con- 
gress on  December  second.  As  I  had  about  reached 
the  stage  where  a  vacation  of  some  kind  was  neces- 
sary. Governor  Taft  asked  me  if  I  would  take 
charge  of  getting  the  report  back  to  Washington, 
using  the  time  en  route  to  put  the  thing  in  order. 
The  War  Department  had  also  instructed  that  a 
secretary  be  furnished  Mr.  Charles  A.  Conant,  the 
financial  expert,  as  far  as  San  Francisco,  to  assist  in 
preparing  his  report  on  coinage  and  banking  for  the 
islands.  Needless  to  say,  I  needed  no  urging  to  act 
as  messenger  for  that  report  or  as  aide  to  Mr. 
Conant.  I  had  a  day  and  a  half's  notice,  but  half  a 
day  would  have  been  ample. 

Our  transport  sailed  at  noon  on  the  sixteenth.  It 
was  eleven  o'clock  that  morning,  however,  before 
the  Commissioners  finally  signed  their  report  and 
the  manuscript,  with  its  mass  of  exhibits,  was  turned 
over  to  me.     It  was  truly  the  "  eleventh  hour." 

I  am  supposed  to  be  back  In  Manila  within  ninety 

[324] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMiMISSION 

days.  I  have  spent  most  of  the  first  three  of  them 
sleeping,  but  am  confident  the  next  eighty-seven  will 
furnish  their  share  of  interest  and  excitement.  It  is 
good  to  be  headed  for  the  "Golden  Gate"  again, 
with  its  vision  of  old  friends,  theaters,  restaurants, 
and  all  those  sights  and  sounds  which  time  and  dis- 
tance have  a  tendency  to  halo  with  a  light  "never 
seen  on  sea  or  land." 

We  have  aboard  the  transport  a  number  of  the 
"Congressional  Party"  which  has  been  visiting  the 
islands  —  among  them,  DeArmand  of  Missouri, 
Caines  of  Tennessee,  Weeks  of  Michigan,  and  Mer- 
cer of  Nebraska.  They  have  been  out  to  "learn 
the  truth  on  the  ground."  They  took  a  trip  about 
the  islands  on  a  government  transport,  and  pre- 
sumably saw  and  talked  to  much  the  same  people. 
Before  leaving  Manila  two  of  them,  representing 
different  political  beliefs,  became  so  surcharged  with 
ideas  that  they  were  able  to  spare  a  few  pearls  for 
those  of  us  condemned  to  remain.  Witness,  how- 
ever, the  strange  transmutation  of  truth  as  they  had 
gained  it  in  company.  One  of  them  said  the  Filipino 
people  were  "nothing  but  savages  with  a  thin  veneer 
of  civilization."  This  was  rather  unkind  of  him, 
considering  his  exalted  station.  They  had  a  cham- 
pion, however,  in  the  Congressman  with  the  Metho- 
dist handle  to  his  name,  who  took  his  brother 
representative  to  task  and  expressed  it  as  his  belief 
that  the  country  was  simply  "swarming  with  latent 
Fred  Douglasses  awaiting  the  beneficent  rays  of 
Democracy  to  burst  into  bloom."     The  controversy 

[325] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

was  later  carried  into  the  newspapers,  much  to  the 
edification  of  the  old  inhabitants.  It  was  of  a  visit- 
ing statesman  called  "  Pagett,  M.  P.,"  who  had  come 
to  India  to  settle  In  a  few  months  its  century-old 
problems,  that  Kipling  wrote : 

"  And  I  laughed  as  I  drove  from  the  station,  but  the  mirth 

died  out  on  my  lips, 
As  I   thought  of  the   fools  like   Pagett  who  write  of  their 

'  Eastern  Trips;' 
And  the  sneers  of  the  travelled  idiots  who  duly  misgovern 

the  land, 
And  I  prayed  the  Lord  to  deliver  another  one  into  my  hand." 


[326] 


c. 
o 


c 


XVII 

TWELVE  YEARS  LATER 

Manila,  April,  19 13. 
\  DECADE  and  more  has  passed  since  the 
"^  events  described  in  the  preceding  chronicle.  It 
is  a  long  time  in  the  life  of  an  individual,  but  a  short 
time  in  the  life  of  a  people.  Death  and  far  places 
have  called  most  of  the  little  group  who  then  shared 
our  "  Philippine  problem,"  but  the  problem  itself 
remains,  to  all  intents,  unchanged.  Now,  as  then, 
one  of  our  great  parties  is  seeking  to  make  an 
"  Issue  "  of  the  Philippines,  and  Filipino  radicals  are 
crying  for  independence  with  the  same  cheerful  dis- 
regard of  consequences  that  marked  Mabini's  appeal 
in  1900.  Americans  who  have  given  of  their  life 
and  thought  to  this  work  decry  any  change  in  our 
present  policy;  anti-imperialists  and  political  trad- 
ers in  the  States,  whose  experience  is  bounded  by 
parlor  cars  and  hotel  lobbies,  declaim  about  "  the 
consent  of  the  governed"  and  then  spank  their  chil- 
dren for  applying  the  principle  in  the  home.  It 
would  all  be  a  matter  for  mirth  were  it  not  that  a 
helpless  people,  and  the  honor  and  good  faith  of  a 
great  nation,  are  the  pawns  being  played  for  per- 
sonal and  partisan  ends. 

[327] 


THE  ODYSSEY  OF 

This  chapter  is  supposed  to  set  down  in  orderly 
fashion  some  record  of  what  has  transpired  here 
during  the  past  twelve  years.  All  that  can  be  hoped 
is  that  it  will  encourage  an  impartial  inquiry  by  those 
desirous  of  knowing  the  truth.  The  writer  claims 
no  authority  other  than  that  which  comes  from  long 
residence  in  the  islands  and  a  more  or  less  active 
participation  in  Philippine  affairs.  He  is  no  longer 
in  government  employ,  and  holds  no  brief  for  any 
person  or  party- — his  sole  purpose  being  to  give 
form  to  what  he  feels  to  be  common  knowledge  to 
those  who  have  shared  his  experiences. 

In  any  discussion  of  the  problem  here  fronting 
the  United  States,  it  is  well  to  emphasize  certain 
facts  which  some  of  our  countrymen  have  apparently 
forgotten.  The  first  of  these  is  that  our  being  in  the 
Philippines  is  not  the  act  of  any  class  or  party,  but 
represents  the  will  of  the  American  people.  Our 
war  with  Spain  was  not  a  partisan  affair,  but  resulted 
from  the  pressure  of  an  almost  unanimous  public 
sentiment.  The  taking  of  Manila,  which  was  a  log- 
ical outcome  of  that  war,  roused  our  people  to  the 
highest  enthusiasm.  The  sending  of  American  troops 
to  the  islands,  both  to  prosecute  the  war  against 
Spain  and  to  preserve  public  order  thereafter,  met 
scarcely  a  dissenting  voice.  The  outbreak  of  the 
Philippine  insurrection  —  being  a  protest  of  at  least 
certain  elements  of  the  people  against  our  occupa- 
tion—  occurred  February  4,  1899,  before  our  Sen- 
ate, by  a  non-party  vote,  approved  the  Treaty  of 
Paris,  thus  confirming  our  title  to  the  islands  and 

[328] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

ratifying  the  action  theretofore  taken  by  President 
McKinley  under  his  war  power.  Record  hath  it 
that  Mr.  Bryan,  the  apostle  of  Democracy,  was 
quite  active  in  bringing  about  this  result. 

Another  popular  error  is  that  the  Philippines  have 
cost,  and  are  costing,  the  United  States,  "untold  mil- 
lions" of  dollars,  for  which  some  person  or  policy  is 
to  blame.  As  the  destruction  of  Spanish  sovereignty 
in  the  islands  was  a  natural  outcome  of  our  war  with 
that  country,  so,  too,  the  restoration  of  orderly  gov- 
ernment thereafter  was  a  duty  owing  not  only  to  the 
mass  of  the  Filipinos,  but  to  the  world  at  large.  The 
money  thus  spent  constitutes  a  legitimate  debit 
against  our  war  with  Spain,  and  should  not  be  en- 
tered as  a  charge  for  which  the  islands,  or  some 
particular  policy  concerning  them,  are  responsible. 
Normal  conditions  having  been  restored,  the  only 
direct  outlay  since  incurred  by  the  home  government 
has  been  the  slightly  increased  expense  of  maintain- 
ing some  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  troops  in  the 
islands  to  what  it  would  cost  in  the  States.  This  is 
more  than  compensated,  however,  by  the  greater 
efficiency  of  our  soldiers,  and  of  the  army  generally, 
acquired  through  the  experiences  of  this  semi-foreign 
service. 

To  the  above  item  some  would  possibly  add  money 
spent  in  enlarging  our  navy,  and  in  building  island 
defenses.  Eliminating  the  Philippines,  however,  we 
still  have  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  Alaska,  Guam,  an 
extended  Pacific  coast  hne,  and  the  Panama  Canal, 
quite  an  argument  in  themselves  for  our  naval  pro- 

[329] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

gram.  Money  spent  in  fortifying  naval  bases  and 
coaling  stations  can  scarcely  be  termed  wasteful,  as 
these  would  be  retained  whatever  action  we  take. 

As  to  the  internal  administration  of  the  islands, 
all  expenditures  for  such  account  are  met  now,  and 
have  been  met  since  the  beginning,  from  insular  rev- 
enues. The  truth  is  that  whatever  money  was  spent 
in  restoring  a  stable  government  here  could  not  In 
decency  have  been  avoided,  while  the  burden  to  the 
United  States  thereafter  has  been  and  is  trivial.  All 
this  is  so  easily  verified  as  to  cause  surprise  at  the 
^prevailing  ignorance  of  the  fact. 

Others  of  our  people  say  the  Philippines  "do  not 
pay."  That  our  self-respect  as  a  nation  is  involved, 
or  that  we  have  deliberately  assumed  obligations 
before  the  world,  mean  nothing  to  these  persons. 
Their  horizon  is  bounded  by  dollars  and  cents,  and 
because  these  are  not  immediately  forthcoming  they 
would  scuttle  like  rats  from  a  sinking  ship.  Of 
much  the  same  type  are  those  alarmists  who  pretend 
to  see  in  our  occupation  of  the  islands  some  sort  of 
menace  to  the  government  builded  by  the  fathers.  It 
is  the  same  old  cry  which  has  gone  up  since  the 
boundaries  of  the  original  Thirteen  States  were  first 
pushed  westward.  The  purchase  of  Florida  and 
Louisiana,  the  annexation  of  Texas,  the  gradual 
extension  of  our  frontier  to  the  Pacific,  and  then  on 
to  Alaska  and  the  Flawalian  Islands,  all  gave  rise 
to  these  prophets  of  gloom,  who  reveled  In  pictures 
of  national  disaster  following  each  addition  to  our 
domain.     That  all  now  laugh  at  the  folly  of  these 

[330] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

"little  Americans"  deters  not  a  whit  this  new  crop 
of  pessimists,  who  launch  as  new  gospel  all  the  time- 
worn  arguments  of  their  discredited  predecessors. 

Our  occupation  of  the  Philippines  was  undertaken 
in  altruism,  and,  critics  to  the  contrary,  all  our  work 
since  has  been  directed  to  the  regeneration  of  the 
islands  and  their  people.  For  those  who  would 
measure  the  value  of  our  new  possessions  from  a 
purely  selfish  standpoint,  however,  it  might  be  said 
our  country  could  not  well  have  been  more  fortunate. 
Students  of  affairs  are  unanimous  that  the  center  of 
world  interest,  political  and  commercial,  has  shifted, 
or  is  shifting,  to  the  Pacific  and  to  the  countries 
which  rib  its  shores.  There  dwell  the  bulk  of  earth's 
inhabitants,  the  vast  majority  of  whom  are  but  now 
awakening  to  the  call  of  progress.  The  needs  and 
wants  and  future  destiny  of  these  millions  of  people 
are  agitating  the  chancelleries  of  the  world,  all  of 
whom  are  striving  for  advantage  in  the  present 
world-wide  struggle  for  trade  supremacy.  Without 
our  seeking,  fate  has  thrust  upon  us  this  wonderful 
group  of  islands,  rich  in  every  natural  resource  and 
lying  at  the  very  doors  of  all  that  vast  population 
sweeping  in  almost  unbroken  chain  from  Vladivostok 
on  the  north  to  Australia  on  the  south.  Coupled 
with  the  Panama  Canal,  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and 
Guam,  the  Philippines  furnish  a  line  of  communica- 
tion and  of  trade  opportunity  whose  strategic  impor- 
tance in  this  new  war  of  the  future  is  unrivaled. 

Time  was  when  orators  could  harp  on  the  "  splen- 
did isolation"  of  our  country  and  get  a  ready  re- 

[331] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

sponse.  With  the  growing  need  for  world  products 
and  world  markets,  however,  and  the  gradual  devel- 
opment of  a  national  spirit  which  refuses  to  accept 
the  narrow  provincialism  of  the  past  as  a  measure 
either  of  our  obligations  or  opportunities,  that  time 
has  gone  forever.  We  have  a  part  to  play  in  inter- 
national politics  and  policies  which  we  could  not 
escape  if  we  would,  and  which  none  but  fossils  can 
regret  or  seek  to  stay. 

We  acquired  the  Philippines  through  conquest  and 
purchase.  They  were  ours  to  do  with  as  we  pleased, 
and  every  historical  precedent  would  have  sanctioned 
their  exploitation  as  a  national  asset.  Instead,  we 
voluntarily  pledged  the  Filipino  people  that  our  ad- 
ministration of  the  country  would  be  for  their  ben- 
efit and  protection,  and  not  for  our  own  financial 
aggrandizement. 

We  promised  to  give  them  —  so  far  and  as  fast  as 
possible  —  all  those  things  which  minister  to  the 
material,  mental,  and  moral  uplift  of  a  people,  to- 
gether with  a  constantly  increasing  participation  in 
government  as  they  developed  capacity  therefor. 
More  than  this  could  not  reasonably  have  been  de- 
manded by  them,  nor  insisted  upon  by  the  most  senti- 
mental or  partisan  of  our  people.  Since  then  the 
years  have  set  their  seal  upon  our  work,  and  we 
should  be  praised  or  blamed  according  as  they  tell 
of  faith  kept  or  broken.  What  the  United  States 
have  done  in  the  Philippines  is  an  open  book  which 
all  who  will  may  read.  I  state  unhesitatingly  that 
we  have  kept  the  faith,  and  that  neither  here  nor  at 

[332] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

home  Is  there  just  ground  for  complaint  or  criticism 
at  the  record  which  stands  revealed. 

Upon  the  material  side  of  the  problem  —  the  shap- 
ing of  conditions  which  make  for  progress,  enlighten- 
ment and  well-being  —  the  following  summary  of 
things  done  will  give  an  idea  how  we  have  met  the 
call  upon  us: 

Courts  with  a  simplified  procedure  have  been 
established,  where  justice  is  neither  bought  nor  sold, 
and  where  rich  and  poor  fare  alike. 

Brigandage  and  lawlessness  have  been  suppressed, 
and  life  and  property  are  protected  and  respected  as 
never  before  in  the  history  of  the  Archipelago. 

The  wild  tribes  of  the  islands,  who  took  heads 
and  slaughtered  each  other  without  let  or  hindrance 
in  the  old  days,  have,  under  the  wise  supervision  and 
guidance  of  Hon.  Dean  C.  Worcester  and  his  corps 
of  heroic  assistants,  entered  upon  ways  of  peace, 
industry,  and  public  order.  It  is  a  work  the  magni- 
tude of  which  is  only  beginning  to  be  (appreciated 
even  in  the  Philippines. 

(  An  educational  system  has  been  perfected  which 
offers  to  every  Filipino  child  a  free  public  school 
education.  Nearly  seven  hundred  thousand  children 
are  now  enrolled,  and  English,  with  its  store  of  lit- 
erary treasure,  is  rapidly  becoming  the  common  lan- 
guage of  the  people.  High  schools  and  normal  insti- 
tutes, housed  in  modern  buildings,  are  within  the 
reach  of  all,  and  a  Philippine  University,  with  full 
literary  and  professional  courses,  has  recently  been 
organized.      Manual  training  schools,   which  teach 

[333] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

not  only  useful  trades,  but  also  the  dignity  of  labor, 
are  being  opened  in  constantly  increasing  numbers. 
Hundreds  of  Filipino  students  have  been  sent  to  the' 
States  at  public  expense,  where  they  have  received, 
and  are  receiving,  the  best  technical  training  of  our 
colleges. 

Health  and  quarantine  services  have  been  organ- 
ized whose  work  in  forestalling  epidemics,  in  freeing 
the  islands  from  plague,  smallpox,  and  other  endemic 
diseases,  and  in  teaching  and  enforcing  sanitation 
and  sanitary  living  among  all  classes,  would  alone 
justify  our  occupation.     Manila  has  to  her  credit  a 
new   and  complete  sewerage   system,    an   extended 
water  service,  an  up-to-date  General  Hospital,  and 
a  Bureau  of  Government  Laboratories  whose  investi- 
gations into  the  cause  and  cure  of  tropical  diseases 
have  given  it  front  rank  among  the  scientific  institu- 
tions of  the  world.     The  lepers  of  the  islands,  for- 
merly  scattered   throughout   the   community,    have 
been  segregated,  and  are  now  well  cared  for  on  the 
Island  of  Culion.     A  determined  fight,  with  every 
chance  of  success,  is  being  waged  against  tubercu- 
losis and  infant  mortality,   the  dread  scourges  of 
these   people.      The   importation   and   smoking   of 
opium  have  been  prohibited,  and  a  vice  which  threat- 
ened to  fasten  itself  upon  the  islands  Is  being  effec- 
tually eradicated.     Modern  markets,  where  cleanli- 
ness is  the  watchword,  have  replaced  the  unwhole- 
some and  death-dealing  plazas  where  food  and  drink 
were  formerly  sold,  while  artesian  wells,  furnishing 
that  indispensable  requisite  for  health  in  the  tropics, 

[334] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

pure  water,  are  now  to  be  found  in  almost  every 
municipality. 

Transportation  facilities  have  been  revolution- 
ized. The  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  railroad 
existing  in  1898  have  been  increased  to  over  seven 
hundred,  with  some  six  hundred  miles  in  project  and 
under  construction.  Nearly  two  thousand  miles  of 
macadam  roads  have  been  built,  opening  up  the 
great  interior  of  the  country  and  making  it  possible 
for  the  people  to  market  their  products  at  a  profit. 
The  island  waters  have  been  sounded,  charted,  and 
studded  with  lighthouses,  making  navigation  some- 
thing more  than  a  lottery.  Great  port  works  have 
been  completed  in  Manila,  Cebu,  Iloilo,  and  other 
places,  furnishing  safe  anchorage  and  docking  facil- 
ities for  ocean-going  vessels.  Inter-island  shipping 
has  been  fostered  and  encouraged,  mail  routes  have 
been  extended  and  cheapened,  and  the  Archipelago 
laced  with  cable  and  telegraph  lines. 

A  comprehensive  irrigation  system,  financed  by 
the  Government  under  an  arrangement  for  eventual 
reimbursement,  is  being  extended  to  various  parts 
of  the  islands,  with  the  certainty  of  enormously 
increasing  the  agricultural  output. 

A  well-patronized  Postal  Savings  Bank  is  in  oper- 
ation, encouraging  habits  of  industry  and  thrift 
among  a  people  noted  for  their  improvidence.  A 
Government  agricultural  bank  is  also  gradually 
relieving  the  lack  of  capital  on  the  part  of  land- 
owners. 

Taxation  has  been  equalized,  and  revenue  is  now 

[335] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

collected  according  to  the  means  of  the  individual 
rather  than  according  to  class,  as  in  former  times. 
Despite  the  wide  scope  of  Government  activities,  the 
per  capita  contribution  is  but  two  dollars  and  odd 
cents,  being  less  than  that  of  any  civilized  country 
in  the  world. 

A  stable  currency,  based  on  gold,  has  replaced  the 
mongrel  and  fluctuating  medium  which,  upon  our 
coming,  made  all  business  operations  a  gamble. 

The  large  Friar  estates,  which  were  a  center  of 
disturbance  and  discontent,  have  been  purchased  by 
the  Government  and  are  now  being  sold  and.  leased 
to  the  occupants  on  easy  terms. 

A  Registration  Act  has  been  adopted  (Torrens) 
which  enables  every  owner  of  real  property  to  secure 
a  guaranteed  title  to  his  holdings  in  place  of  the 
questionable  ownership  heretofore  applicable  to 
most  privately  claimed  lands. 

Forest  regulations  have  been  adopted  which  pro- 
tect this  great  source  of  island  wealth  from  undue 
waste  and  destruction,  and  yet  encourage  capital  in 
its  exploitation. 

A  Public  Land  Act  has  been  enacted  which  enables 
every  Filipino  to  acquire  a  free  homestead,  and 
they  are  encouraged  to  do  so. 

Church  and  state  have  been  divorced,  and  the 
people  relieved  of  one  of  their  greatest  grievances 
under  Spain.  Freedom  of  worship,  of  speech,  and 
of  the  press  have  been  guaranteed  —  privileges  which 
many  Filipinos,  in  their  sudden  release  from  old 
restraints,  arc  inclined  to  abuse. 

[336] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

Bilibid,  the  great  island  prison,  has  been  trans- 
formed from  a  veritable  death  trap  into  an  institu- 
tion which  would  serve  as  a  model  in  any  country. 
Criminals  are  taught  useful  trades,  and,  as  a  reward 
for  meritorious  conduct,  are  transferred  to  the  self- 
governing  and  self-supporting  penal  colony  of 
Iwahig,  where  every  opportunity  is  given  them  to 
become  useful  citizens. 

Philippine  imports  have  increased  from  $16,285,- 
044  in  Spanish  times  to  $61,667,901  in  1912,  and 
exports  from  $20,457,279  to  $54,784,738.  Free 
trade  applies  upon  all  States'  products  coming  to 
the  Philippines,  and  upon  all  island  products  enter- 
ing the  States  except  sugar  and  tobacco,  Hjpon  which 
a  complaisant  Congress  placed  a  limitation  at  the 
behest  of  the  sugar  and  tobacco  trusts. 

There  has  been  a  general  increase  in  salaries  and 
wages,  and  the  people  are  better  fed,  better  housed, 
and  better  clothed  than  ever  before. 

Baseball  and  tennis  are  becoming  the  national 
games  of  the  country,  and  the  rising  generation  not 
only  bids  fair  to  abandon  the  cock-pit  as  (a  means  of 
recreation,  but  to  represent  a  type  of  physical  devel- 
opment heretofore  unknown  among  a  Malay  people. 

The  list  is  a  prosaic  one — "the  tale  of  common 
things" — but  it  will  be  found  upon  scrutiny  to 
include  most  of  the  things  for  which  our  fathers 
struggled  through  the  centuries,  and  little  if  anything 
which  the  Filipinos  could  or  would  (have  achieved 
unaided. 

In  the  matter  of  granting  the  people  a  partlcipa- 

[337] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

tion  in   government   as   rapidly   as   they    could   be 
entrusted  therewith,  the  following  appears: 

Of  the  nine  members  of  the  Philippine  Commis- 
sion, constituting  the  upper  branch  of  the  Philippine 
Legislature,  four  are  Filipinos,  one  of  whom  is 
Secretary  of  Finance  and  Justice. 

The  lower  house,  composed  of  eighty  members 
and  known  as  the  "Assembly,"  is  altogether  Fili- 
pino, the  delegates  being  elected  by  popular  vote. 
All  legislation  except  that  relating  to  the  Moro 
province  and  the  wild  tribes  must  now  "receive  the 
sanction  of  this  body. 

Of  the  seven  members  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
three  are  Filipinos,  one  of  whom  is  Chief  Justice. 

The  Attorney  General  of  the  islands  is  a  Filipino, 
as  are  also  a  number  of  his  assistants. 

Of  the  twenty-four  Judges  of  the  Courts  of  First 
Instance,  twelve  are  Filipinos. 

Three  of  the  five  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Land 
Registration  are  Filipinos. 

The  Director  of  Labor  and  his  assistant  are  Fili- 
pinos. 

The  Judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  Manila  is 
a  Filipino. 

The  Registrars  of  Deeds  are  all  Filipinos. 

All  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  throughout  the 
islands  are  Filipinos. 

The  Governors  of  all  the  Christianized  provinces, 
as  also  the  third  member  of  the  Provincial  Board, 
the  governing  body  in  the  provinces,  are  Filipinos, 
elected  by  the  people. 

[338] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

In  Manila  three  of  the  six  members  of  the  Munic- 
ipal Board  are  Filipinos,  one  of  whom  is  President 
of  the  board. 

The  government  of  the  various  municipalities 
throughout  the  islands  is  purely  autonomous,  their 
officials  being  chosen  by  the  community. 

Of  the  eight  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty 
teachers  in  the  Bureau  of  Education,  seven  thousand 
six  hundred  and  ninety-six  are  Filipinos,  of  whom 
six  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-two  are  paid 
from  municipal  funds  and  one  thousand  and  sixty- 
four  from  insular  funds. 

Of  the  eight  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty-six 
employes  in  the  classified  Civil  Service,  six  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixty-three,  or  seventy-one  t)er 
cent,  are  Filipinos. 

The  islands  also  have  two  delegates  in  the  United 
States  Congress,  both  Filipinos,  who  are  free  to, 
agitate  for  independence  or  otherwise,  as  their  per- 
sonal convictions  or  political  fortun-^  may  render 
expedient. 

Can  anyone  who  dispassionately  considers  the 
foregoing  say  that  we  have  not  given  full  measure 
of  performance  in  all  that  was  promised  these 
people?  It  is  easy  to  criticise  and  complain,  but  only 
the  self-seeking  or  the  prejudiced  can  refuse  to  rec- 
ognize in  this  record  of  twelve  years'  work  some- 
thing unprecedented  in  colonial  administration,  of 
which  our  country  may  well  be  proud. 

The  task  has  not  been  an  easy  one.  To  new  and 
untried    problems,    an    impoverished    country,    and 

[339] 


THE   ODYSSEY    OF 

scant  working  material  there  was  added  a  bitter  war, 
with  its  heritage  of  antagonism,  of  lawlessness,  of 
devastated  fields,  and  the  inertia  incident  to  enforced 
Idleness  and  the  breaking  up  of  accustomed  pursuits. 
During  the  early  years  of  our  occupation  an  epidemic 
of  rinderpest  swept  over  the  provinces,  destroying 
the  herds  of  carabao  and  cattle,  leaving  the  people* 
destitute  of  work  animals.  Agriculture,  the  true 
source  of  wealth  of  the  Islands,  was  largely  para- 
lyzed, and  outside  capital,  which  might  have  relieved 
the  situation,  was  deterred  from  coming  through  the 
persistent  agitation  of  theorists  and  politicians  look- 
ing to  our  early  surrender  of  the  islands. 

The  cooperation  counted  upon  from  the  natives, 
once  they  had  proof  of  our  desire  to  help  them,  did 
not  altogether  materialize.  Left  to  themselves,  there 
is  little  question  but  that  the  vast  majority  would  be 
perfectly  content  with  the  new  opportunities  offered, 
and  the  securities  to  life  and  property  guaranteed  by 
our  rule.  Unfortunately,  however,  they  have  not 
been  left  to  themselves.  From  the  very  beginning  a 
certain  element  among  the  people  —  from  whom  the 
masses  receive  their  ideas  —  has  systematically  criti- 
cised and  condemned  everything  American,  and  has 
apparently  found  nothing  deserving  of  either  praise 
or  gratitude  in  all  that  has  been  done  for  the  better- 
ment of  their  race.  Either  deliberately  or  through 
ignorance,  they  have  shut  their  eyes  to  the  wider 
aspects  of  the  tremendous  transformation  worked  in 
their  condition,  and  have  magnified  every  mistake  or 
shortcoming  of  the  government,   and  every  pecca- 

[340] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COiMiMlSSlON 

dillo  of  some  subordinate  official,  into  a  mountain  of 
injustice,  over-shadowing  every  concession,  privilege, 
or  positive  good  accorded  them  through  our  occupa- 
tion. They  have  enthroned  their  so-called  "  political 
ideal "  above  the  economic  welfare  of  the  bulk  of 
their  countrymen,  whose  interests  they  would  will- 
ingly sacrifice  for  the  ignis  fatuiis  of  a  questionable 
and  uncertain  independence.  Such  an  attitude  does 
not  stimulate  altruism,  nor  does  it  encourage  in  the 
belief  that  those  giving  expression  thereto  are  de- 
serving of  still  greater  privileges.  If  such  critics 
would  conscientiously  contrast  present-day  conditions 
with  their  situation  shortly  before  our  coming,  they 
might  hesitate  in  their  clamor  for  our  precipitate 
withdrawal.  What  that  former  condition  was  has 
been  graphically  portrayed  by  their  national  hero, 
Rizal,  in  his  great  work.  Noli  me  Taugere,  and  it  is 
not  one  to  be  envied.  With  the  gradual  enlighten- 
ment of  the  masses  the  hold  of  these  self-constituted 
spokesmen  is  diminishing,  and  will  soon  become  a 
negligible  quantity  so  far  as  obstructing  the  material 
development  of  these  fast  developing  islands  is 
concerned. 

Our  troubles  have  not  all  been  local,  however. 
The  Philippine  Commission,  in  much  of  its  work 
here,  has  been  dependent  upon  Congressional  action, 
to  which  body  It  was  Instructed  to  makei  needful  rec- 
ommendations. Congress,  however,  saturated  with 
the  expert  knowledge  of  the  Philippines  acquired 
amid  the  environs  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  has 
chosen  in  many  Instances  to  either  altogether  Ignore 

[341] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

these  recommendations  or  to  suppress  and  mutilate 
them  at  the  behest  of  private  interests. 

An  earlier  chapter  details  the  sore  straits  of  the 
Commission  in  attempting  to  relieve  from  the  de- 
based currency  formely  in  use.  In  1900  a  plan 
designed  to  remedy  the  evil  was  recommended  'to 
Congress.  That  body  did  nothing.  It  was  repeated 
in  1 90 1,  supported  by  the  report  of  a  financial  expert. 
Congress  simply  haggled  over  it.  In  1902  it  was 
again  urged,  with  the  result  that  in  1903,  after  years 
of  business  chaos,  the  scheme  as  originally  recom- 
mended in  1900  was  adopted. 

For  eleven  years  now  the  Commission  has  vainly 
pled  with  Congress  to  amend  the  mining  code  ex- 
tended by  it  to  the  islands,  whereby  individuals  and 
corporations  are  limited  to  one  claim  on  a  vein  or 
lode.  The  restriction  is  without  precedent  in  mining 
law,  and  effectually  blocks  mining  enterprise  except 
through  subterfuge  and  evasion.  Another  provision 
of  the  Philippines  Bill,  so  absurd  as  to  excite  de- 
rision, is  that  which  prohibits  any  person  interested 
in  an  agricultural  corporation  from  holding  stock  in 
a  mining  corporation,  or  vice  versa.  Such  bill  also 
provides  that  no  corporation  shall  engage  in  buying 
and  selling  real  estate,  or  hold  over  twenty-five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  however  acquired.  It  also  limits 
the  purchase  of  public  lands  to  forty  acres  for  an 
individual  and  twenty-five  hundred  acres  for  a  cor- 
poration. With  a  sparse  population,  scarcity  of 
labor,  and  over  sixty  million  acres  of  absolutely  un- 
productive state  lands,  these  restrictions  furnish  a 

[342] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

fair  sample  of  the  "Intrenched  ignorance"  of  our 
legislators  when  dealing  with  Philippine  affairs. 
Theoretically,  they  seek  to  protect  the  Filipinos  from 
undue  "exploitation;"  practically,  they  hinder,  de- 
lay, and  stifle  the  economic  development  of  the 
islands,  upon  which  all  Filipino  progress,  whether 
political  or  material,  must  be  predicated. 

Perhaps  the  most  flagrant  neglect  of  duty,  how- 
ever, was  the  delay  of  Congress  in  opening  our  mar- 
kets to  Philippine  products.  By  virtue  of  the  Treaty 
of  Paris  the  islands  became  domestic  territory  of  the 
United  States,  differing  in  no  respect  from  Hawaii 
and  Porto  Rico,  against  whose  trade  no  restrictions 
ever  applied.  Our  responsibility  toward  the  Fili- 
pinos is  a  national  one,  deliberately  assumed,  and  yet 
for  nine  years  special  interests  in  Congress  were  able 
to  block  legislation  intended  simply  to  place  them  on 
an  equality  with  all  others  under  our  flag.  When, 
after  years  of  struggle  and  argument,  the  House 
agreed  to  remove  the  tariff  barriers,  the  bill  was 
not  even  reported  from  the  Senate  committee.  The 
persuasive  arguments  of  the  sugar  and  tobacco  trusts 
proved  stronger  with  that  august  body  than  its  sense 
of  obligation  to  a  stricken  people  whom  we  had 
taken  as  wards.  Finally,  in  1909,  through  the  per- 
sistent efforts  of  President  Taft,  without  whose  insis- 
tence it  would  never  have  been  accomplished,  free 
trade  was  established  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Philippines  except  as  to  sugar  and  tobacco.  Upon 
these  products  the  sugar  and  tobacco  interests  were 
still  sufficiently  represented  to  exact  a  limitation  upon 

[343] 


THE   ODYSSEY  OF 

the  amount  which  could  be  Imported  free  of  duty. 
The  whole  thing  is  so  palpable,  so  selfish,  and  so 
opposed  to  decency  and  fair  dealing  as  to  bring 
shame  to  every  self-respecting  American.  Whether 
our  occupation,  of  the  Philippines  was  wise  or  unwise 
is  immaterial;  so  long  as  we  are  here,  we  should 
play  the  game  honestly  and  squarely. 

Another  thing  which  complicates  our  work  here  is 
the  tendency  of  various  ambitious  Congressmen  to 
occupy  their  spare  time  in  offering  resolutions  look- 
ing to  the  "Neutralization"  or  "Independence"  of 
the  Philippines.  The  theme  is  a  tempting  one,  lend- 
ing itself,  as  it  does,  to  oratory  and  newspaper  head- 
lines, without  prejudice  to  their  local  fences.  Read- 
ing the  violent  denunciations  of  these  embryo  states- 
men, it  might  be  imagined  all  our  officials  here  were 
tyrants  "crushing  beneath  their  despotic  heels  the 
rights,  liberties,  and  privileges  of  a  long-suffering 
people."  While  such  speakers  know  (or  could  know, 
if  they  cared)  that  they  are  lying,  their  "words  be- 
come the  text  of  native  politicians  and  serve  to  com- 
plicate and  embarrass  the  work  of  earnest  men  who 
are  striving  in  this  far  country  to  uphold  the  honor 
and  good  name  of  our  nation.  The  power  for  evil 
of  these  intemperate  notoriety  seekers  cannot  be 
exaggerated. 

In  much  the  same  category  as  the  above  are  the 
Anti-Imperialists  of  Boston  and  thereabouts,  who 
grow  red  in  the  face  telling  of  the  terrible  things  we 
have  done  and  are  doing  to  the  Filipinos.  That  few, 
if  any,  of  these  excitable  persons  have  ever  taken 

[344] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

the  trouble  to  come  to  the  islands,  or  had  or  have 
any  practical  knowledge  of  the  situation,  does  not 
disqualify  them  in  the  least  from  passing  final  judg- 
ment in  the  matter.  While  they  would  not  be  ex- 
pected to  buy  a  horse,  or  make  a  business  investment, 
without  carefully  examining  the  facts,  such  require- 
ment becomes  a  "  mere  detail  "  when  disposing  of  the 
future  destiny  of  eight  millions  of  people,  with  all 
their  allied  interests. 

Usually,  when  a  person  desires  Information  on 
something  outside  his  experience,  he  either  investi- 
gates it  himself  or  consults  those  who  have  made  a 
practical  and  disinterested  study  of  it.  There  is  no 
reason  why  this  mooted  question  of  our  Philippine 
policy  should  offer  any  exception  to  this  rule  for 
those  honestly  seeking  the  truth.  The  facts  of  the 
situation  have  been  stated  again  and  again  by  those 
qualified  to  speak,  whose  ability  and  sincerity  are 
beyond  cavil. 

In  October,  1907,  Mr.  Taft,  then  Secretary  of 
War,  inaugurated  the  "  Philippine  Assembly,"  which 
body  had  been  created  largely  through  his  personal 
efforts  and  recommendations.  Speaking  to  as  intel- 
lectual an  audience  of  Filipinos  as  could  be  gathered 
in  the  Islands,  and  with  every  Incentive  to  paint  their 
future  as  brightly  as  possible,  he  defined  our  purposes 
toward  them  as  follows; 

The  avowed  policy  of  the  National  Administra- 
tion under  these  two  Presidents  (McKinley  and 
Roosevelt)  has  been,  and  is,  to  govern  the  islands, 
having  regard  to  the   interest  and  welfare  of  the 

[345  J 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Filipino  people,  and  by  the  spread  of  general  pri- 
mary and  industrial  education  and  by  practice  in  par- 
tial political  control  to  fit  the  people  themselves  to 
maintain  a  stable  and  well-ordered  government 
affording  equality  of  right  and  opportunity  to  all 
citizens. 

As  this  policy  of  extending  control  continues,  it 
must  logically  reduce  and  finally  end  the  sovereignty 
of  the  United  States  in  these  islands,  unless  it  shall 
seem  wise  to  the  American  and  the  Filipino  people, 
on  account  of  mutually  beneficial  trade  relations  and 
possible  advantage  to  the  islands  in  their  foreign 
relations,  that  the  bond  shall  not  be  completely 
severed. 

How  long  this  process  of  political  preparation  of 
the  Filipino  people  is  likely  to  be,  is  a  question 
which  no  one  can  certainly  answer.  When  I  was  in 
the  islands  last,  I  ventured  the  opinion  that  it  would 
take  considerably  longer  than  a  generation.  I  have 
not  changed  my  view  upon  this  point.  However  this 
may  be,  I  believe  that  the  policy  of  the  Administra- 
tion, as  outlined  above,  is  as  definite  as  the  policy  of 
any  government  in  a  matter  of  this  kind  can  safely 
be  made.  We  are  engaged  in  working  out  a  great 
experiment.  No  other  nation  has  attempted  it,  and 
for  us  to  fix  a  certain  ninnber  of  years  in  which  the 
experiment  must  become  a  success  and  be  completely 
realized  would  be,  in  my  judgment,  unwise. 

In  an  earlier  speech  he  stated: 

I  believe,  as  do  most  Americans  who  have  had 
great  familiarity  with  the  facts,  that  it  is  absolutely 
impossible  to  hope  that  the  lessons  which  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  United  States  to  teach  the  whole  Filipino 
people,  can  be  learned  by  them,  as  a  body,  in  less 
than  a  generation;  and  the  probability  is  that  it  will 

[346] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

take  a  longer  period  in  which  to  render'  them  capable 
of  establishing  and  maintaining  a  stable,  independent 
government. 

In  his  special  report  as  Secretary  of  War  to  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  made  in  January,  1908,  Mr.  Taft 
said: 

What  should  be  emphasized  in  the  statement  of 
our  national  policy  is  that  we  wish  to  prepare  the 
Filipinos  for  popular  self-government.  This  is  plain 
from  Mr.  McKinley's  letter  of  instructions  and  all 
of  his  utterances.  It  was  not  at  all  within  his  pur- 
pose, or  that  of  the  Congress  which  made  his  letter  a 
part  of  the  law  of  the  land,  that  we  were  merely  to 
await  the  organization  of  a  Philippine  oligarchy  or 
aristocracy  competent  to  administer  government  and 
then  turn  the  islands  over  to  it.  On  the  contrary, 
it  is  plain,  from  all  of  Mr.  McKinley's  utterances 
and  your  own,  in  interpretation  of  our  national  pur- 
pose, that  we  are  the  trustees  and  guardians  of  the 
wJiole  Filipino  people,  and  peculiarly  of  the  ignorant 
masses,  and  that  our  trust  is  not  discharged  until 
those  masses  are  given  education  sufficient  to  know 
their  civil  rights  and  maintain  them  against  a  more 
powerful  class  and  safely  to  exercise  the  political 
franchise.  .  .  .  The  standard  set,  of  course,  is  not 
that  of  perfection,  or  such  a  government  capacity  as 
that  of  an  Anglo-Saxon  people,  but  it  certainly  ought 
to  be  one  of  such  popular  political  capacity  that  com- 
plete independence  in  its  exercise  will  result  in  prog- 
ress rather  than  retrogression  to  chaos  or  tyranny. 

Mr.  Taft  knows  the  Filipino  people  and  their  lim- 
itations as  well  or  better,  perhaps,  than  any  other 
American.     He  has  labored  with  and  for  them  as 

[347] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Governor-General  of  the  Islands,  as  Secretary  of 
War  charged  with  Philippine  affairs,  and  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  zealous  to  protect  and 
defend  their  Interests.  His  work  In  the  Islands,  and 
the  legislation  enacted  under  his  direction,  are  better 
evidence  of  his  sincere  and  disinterested  desire  to 
help  this  people,  and  to  deny  them  no  just  privilege, 
than  are  the  sounding  words  of  cozy-corner  politi- 
cians In  the  States. 

In  19 lo,  the  Hon.  J.  M.  Dickinson,  a  Democrat, 
then  Secretary  of  War,  visited  the  Philippines'  and 
made  an  exhaustive  study  of  conditions.  He  jour- 
neyed from  one  end  of  the  Archipelago  to  the  other 
and  gave  audience,  both  public  and  private,  to  every- 
one desiring  to  discuss  the  situation  with  him.  In  his 
special  report  to  the  President,  dated  November  23, 
1 9 10,  Mr.  Dickinson  says: 

There  are  very  many  highly  educated  Filipinos, 
many  men  of  talent,  ability,  and  brilliancy,  but  the 
percentage  In  comparison  with  those  who  are  wholly 
untrained  In  an  understanding  of,  and  the  exercise 
of,  political  rights  under  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment is  so  small,  and  under  the  best  and  most 
rapid  development  possible  under  existing  conditions 
will  for  a  long  period  continue  so  small,  that  it  is  a 
delusion,  if  the  present  policy  of  control  of  the 
islands  by  the  American  people  shall  continue,  to 
encourage  the  Filipino  people  In  the  hope  that  the 
administration  of  the  islands  will  be  turned  over  to 
them  within  the  time  of  the  present  generation.  The 
only  Inhabitants  of  the  islands  that  are  making  any 
marked  progress  in  preparation  for  self-government 
are  the  I'Hipinos  proper,  and,  as  stated,  but  a  small 

[348] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

percentage  of  these  are  sufficiently  educated  to  un- 
derstand and  administer  republican  institutions.  The 
masses  of  them  have  no  knowledge  of  general  ad- 
ministration, and  are  under  the  control  of  leaders 
whose  will  is  practically  their  law. 

Further  in  his  report,  and  referring  to  an  appar- 
ently concerted  effort  during  his  visit  to  work  up  a 
demonstration  in  favor  of  independence,  he  depre- 
cates such  movement  as  follows: 

The  significant  and  questionable  feature  was  that 
stirring  up  the  people  to  such  demonstrations  was 
calculated  to  engender  expectations  as  to  immediate 
independence  which  would  certainly  be  disappointed, 
and  thereby  result  in  discontent  with  the  present 
administration  of  affairs,  and  operate  as  an  encour- 
agement to  those  who  are  sowing  the  seeds  of  dis- 
cord between  the  American  Government  and  the 
Filipino  people,  all  of  which  tends  to  retard  the 
development  for  which  we  are  striving. 

The  truth  of  the  above  observation  applies  equally 
to  those  of  our  own  people  who,  by  their  irresponsi- 
ble utterances  upon  the  question  of  Philippine  inde- 
pendence, are  hurting  rather  than  helping  those 
whom  they  pretend  to  serve. 

The  Right  Reverend  Charles  H.  Brent,  now  and 
for  eleven  years  past  Episcopal  Bishop  for  the  Phil- 
ippines, and  one  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  islands,  ex- 
pressed his  conviction  that  our  Government  was,  if 
anything,  proceeding  too  rapidly  with  its  policy  of 
extending  political  control  to  the  natives.  During  a 
recent  speech  he  quoted  with  approval  the  following 

[349] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

passage  from  the  farewell  address  of  the  Earl  of 
Cromer,  who,  as  England's  great  Pro-Consul  in 
Egypt  for  nearly  thirty  years,  dealt  with  problems 
analogous  to  those  confronting  our  government  in 
the  Philippines : 

I  am  not  likely  in  future  to  take  a  very  active  part 
In  politics,  but  I  shall  continue,  as  far  as  my  health 
and  strength  allow,  to  take  an  interest  in  Egyptian 
affairs.  Whatever  influence  I  can  exert  will  be  exer- 
cised in  the  direction  of  steady  progress  on  the  lines 
already  laid  down.  I  shall  deprecate  any  brisk 
change,  any  violent  new  departure;  more  especially, 
if  necessary,  I  shall  urge  that  this  wholly  spurious 
manufactured  movement  in  favor  of  the  rapid  devel- 
opment of  parliamentary  institutions  be  treated  for 
what  it  is  worth.  And,  let  me  add,  it  is  worth  very 
little.  It  does  not  really  represent  the  voice  of  the 
intelligent  dwellers  in  Eypt,  European  or  Egyptian. 
When  all  nonsense  and  exaggeration  are  swept  away, 
it  will,  I  think,  be  found  that  the  differences  of  opin- 
ion between  my  opponents,  especially  those  in  Eng- 
land, and  myself  are  really  not  so  much  one  of  prin- 
ciple as  of  degree.  They  wish  to  gallop.  I  con- 
sider a  steady  jog-trot  is  the  pace  best  suited  to 
advance  the  interests  of  this  country.  It  is  a  pace 
which  has  done  us  good  service  in  the  past,  and  I 
say  it  should  be  continued,  never  relaxing  to  a  walk 
or  breaking  into  a  gallop.  My  strong  conviction  is 
that  if  the  pace  is  greatly  mended  a  serious  risk  will 
be  incurred  that  the  horse  will  come  down  and  break 
his  knees. 

I  wish  to  tell  you  why  I  entertain  and  why  I  now 
state  these  opinions.  It  is  not  because  I  hold  any 
political  advantage  will  accrue  to  my  own  country 
from  their  adoption.    It  is  not  even  because  I  believe 

[350] 


THE    PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

them  to  be  shared  by  all  the  most  Intelligent  classes, 
European  and  Egyptian,  in  this  country.  No;  it  is 
mainly  because  I  hope  that  what  I  am  now  saying 
will  eventually  be  translated  into  the  vernacular  lan- 
guage, and  will  thus  reach  the  ears  of  some,  at  all 
events,  of  the  voiceless  millions  of  blue-shirted  fella- 
heen, on  whose  labor  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
really  depends.  I,  who  claim  always  to  have  been 
their  true  friend,  warn  them  against  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  duped  and  misled  by  their  pseudo-repre- 
sentatives, who,  without  a  shadow  of  real  authority, 
credit  them  with  ideas  which  they  neither  entertain 
nor  fully  comprehend,  and  who  advocate  a  political 
program,  the  immediate  adoption  of  which,  while 
detrimental  to  all  other  interests,  would,  I  am  firmly 
convinced,  be  specially  hurtful  to  those  of  the  poor- 
est classes  of  the  community.  If,  instead  of  being 
the  defender  of  a  regime  which  has  now  lasted 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  I  were  to  turn  my 
hand  to  criticising  it,  I  should  be  disposed  to  dwell 
on  the  point  that  progress,  instead  of  being  too  slow, 
has  been  so  fast  that  the  reforms  effected  have  not 
as  yet  been  thoroughly  assimilated  by  the  mass  of 
the  population. 

The  above  quotations,  which  state  our  problem  in 
the  Philippines  and  its  answer,  might  be  multiplied 
indefinitely.  The  Philippine  Commission  has  iterated 
and  reiterated  the  same  conclusions  in  its  annual 
reports  during  the  past  twelve  years  —  conclusions 
concurred  in  by  practically  every  impartial  investi- 
gator. These  men  are  not  conspirators,  engaged  in 
a  scheme  to  deceive  the  American  public  and  rob  the 
Filipinos  of  their  birthright,  but  are  the  representa- 
tives of  our  government,  speaking  with  an  authority 

[351] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

gained  through  months  and  years  of  actual  contact 
with  this  situation. 

The  Filipinos  have  today  a  degree  of  liberty  and 
freedom  unknown  among  any  oriental  people,  and, 
under  our  protection  and  tutelage,  are  making  rapid 
strides  along  the  road  our  forefathers  builded  with 
blood  and  with  tears.  To  now  jeopardize  all  that 
has  been  done,  and  all  that  Is  yet  promised,  by  the 
premature  establishment  of  self-government,  would 
be  an  act  of  folly,  as  unjust  to  the  great  masses  of 
this  people  as  It  would  be  recreant  and  criminal  of 
us.  Nowhere  have  the  principles  underlying  this 
matter  of  granting  self-government  to  the  Filipinos 
been  more  clearly  and  forcibly  expressed  than  by 
our  now  President,  Mr.  Wilson,  who.  In  his  lecture 
on  "  Constitutional  Government  In  the  United 
States,"  delivered  at  Columbia  University,  In  1907, 
said: 

Self-government  is  not  a  mere  form  of  institu- 
tions, to  be  had  when  desired,  if  only  proper  pains 
be  taken.  It  Is  a  form  of  character.  It  follows  upon 
the  long  discipline  which  gives  a  people  self-posses- 
sion, self-mastery,  the  habit  of  order  and  peace  and 
common  counsel,  and  a  reverence  for  law  which  will 
not  fail  when  they  themselves  become  the  makers 
of  law:  the  steadiness  and  self-control  of  political 
maturity.  And  these  things  cannot  be  had  without 
long  discipline. 

The  distinction  is  of  vital  concern  to  us  in  respect 
of  practical  choices  of  policy  which  we  must  make, 
and  make  very  soon.  We  have  dependencies  to  deal 
with  and  must  deal  witli  them  in  the  true  spirit  of 
our  own  Institutions.    We  can  give  the  Filipinos  con- 

[352] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

stitutional  government,  a  government  which  they 
may  count  upon  to  be  just,  a  government  based  upon 
some  clear  and  equitable  understanding,  intended  for 
their  good  and  not  for  our  aggrandizement;  but  we 
must  ourselves  for  the  present  supply  that  govern- 
ment. It  would,  It  is  true,  be  an  unprecedented 
operation,  reversing  the  process  of  Runnymede,  but 
America  has  before  this  shown  the  world  enlight- 
ened processes  of  politics  that  were  without  prece- 
dent. It  would  have  been  within  the  choice  of  John 
to  summon  his  barons  to  Runnymede  and  of  his  own 
initiative  enter  into  a  constitutional  understanding 
with  them;  and  it  is  within  our  choice  to  do  a  similar 
thing,  at  once  wise  and  generous,  In  the  government 
of  the  Philippine  Islands.  But  we  cannot  give  them 
self-government.  Self-government  is  not  a  thing 
that  can  be  "given"  to  any  people,  because  it  is  a 
form  of  character  and  not  a  form  of  constitution. 
No  people  can  be  "given"  the  self-control  of  ma- 
turity. Only  a  long  apprenticeship  of  obedience  can 
secure  them  the  precious  possession,  a  thing  no  more 
to  be  bought  than  given.  They  cannot  be  presented 
with  the  character  of  a  community,  but  it  may  confi- 
dently be  hoped  that  they  will  become  a  community 
under  the  wholesome  and  salutary  influences  of  just 
laws  and  a  sympathetic  administration;  that  they  will 
after  a  while  understand  and  master  themselves,  if 
in  the  meantime  they  are  understood  and  served  in 
good  conscience  by  those  set  over  them  in  authority. 

We,  of  all  people  in  the  world,  should  know  these 
fundamental  things  and  should  act  upon  them,  if 
only  to  illustrate  the  mastery  in  politics  which  be- 
longs to  us  of  hereditary  right.  To  ignore  them 
would  be  not  only  to  fail  and  fail  miserably,  but  to 
fail  ridiculously  and  belie  ourselves.  Having  our- 
selves gained  self-government  by  a  definite  process 

[353] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

which  can  have  no  substitute,  let  us  put  the  people 
dependent  upon  us  In  the  right  way  to  gain  it  also. 

The  mistake  made  by  many  of  our  people  is  in 
accepting  the  insistent  demands  of  a  certain  class  of 
natives,  who  largely  control  the  sources  of  public 
expression,  as  representing  the  desires  and  capacity 
of  the  whole  Filipino  race.  This  is  not  the  fact. 
The  population  is  split  Into  Innumerable  and  scat- 
tered divisions,  many  of  them  semi-savage,  speaking 
various  dialects,  and  without  any  cohesion  of  inter- 
ests or  Ideas.  In  the  general  elections  held  In  June, 
1912,  only  235,792  people  voted,  or  .034  per  cent 
of  the  Christian  population  of  the  Islands,  and  this 
under  a  most  liberal  franchise.  Our  obligation  Is 
not  so  much  to  the  few,  who  possibly  have  the 
capacity  they  claim,  as  it  Is  to  that  vast  majority 
whose  need  and  cry  Is  not  for  independence,  but 
rather  for  that  equality  of  right  and  opportunity 
which  is  found  only  In  just  laws  efficiently  and  hon- 
estly administered.  Neither  is  this  demand  for  Im- 
mediate Independence  general  to  Filipinos  of  educa- 
tion and  fortune.  Investigation  would  disclose  that 
most  of  those  who  clamor  loudest  in  this  regard  have 
but  small  material  Interests  at  stake,  while  the  con- 
servative business  element  —  the  men  of  means  and 
property  who  are  the  backbone  of  the  islands  — 
would  consider  our  early  withdrawal  nothing  short 
of  a  calamity. 

Secretary  of  War  Dickinson,  in  his  report  above 
quoted,  said: 

[354] 


THE   PHILIPPINE   COMMISSION 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  so  far  as  publicly  ex- 
pressed, the  general  desire  of  the  Filipinos  is  for 
what  they  denominate  "immediate  independence." 
.  .  .  While  these,  as  stated,  are  the  only  views  pub- 
licly expressed,  I  became  convinced  from  reliable 
evidence  that  many  of  the  most  substantial  men, 
while  not  openly  opposing  the  demands  publicly 
voiced,  would  regard  such  a  consummation  with  con- 
sternation. They  realize  that  the  government  would 
fall  into  the  hands  of  a  few  who  would  dominate 
the  masses;  that  the  administration,  even  without 
outside  interference,  could  not  be  successfully  car- 
ried on;  that  there  would  be  internal  dissensions 
and  probably  civil  war,  and  that  if  the  United  States 
did  not  interfere  they  would  fall  an  easy  prey  to 
some  foreign  power. 

As  implied  in  the  foregoing,  it  is  not  in  our  power 
to  grant  the  Filipinos  "  Independence."  It  is  within 
our  power  to  withdraw  from  the  islands,  but  it  is 
not  within  our  right  to  tell  other  countries,  whose 
interests  may  be  affected,  to  stand  off.  Our  over- 
worked and  somewhat  wobbly  Monroe  Doctrine 
does  not  extend  to  the  Philippine  Islands.  To  relin- 
quish sovereignty,  and  still  remain  responsible  for 
the  preservation  of  law  and  order,  would  render  our 
last  condition  worse  than  the  first.  The  situation 
prevailing  in  Mexico,  our  sister  republic,  whose  in- 
habitants are  far  more  homogeneous  and  far  more 
experienced  in  government  than  are  the  Filipinos, 
should  give  pause  to  those  who  advocate  the  early 
turning  adrift  of  these  islands  to  the  perils  both  of 
internecine  strife  and  of  foreign  intervention. 

As  to  "Neutralization" — the  granting  of  inde- 

[3SS] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

pendence  under  an  International  protectorate  —  the 
scheme   is   wholly   chimerical   and   impossible.       It 
would  require,  for  success,  the  unanimous  consent  of 
the  world  powers,  for  which  consent  there  is  neither 
motive    nor   moving   necessity.      Moreover,    to   be 
"  neutralized,"  a  country  must  be  thoroughly  capable 
of  maintaining  internal  order  and  of  protecting  the 
nationals  of  other  countries  within  its  borders.  Until 
it  can   do  this  any  such  plan  would  simply  mean 
sharing  our  present  responsibility  with  other  powers, 
with  the  chances  strong  that  some  of  them  would 
early  find  a  pretext  for  overturning  the  arrangement. 
It  chanced  that  the  Philippines  were  acquired,  and 
our  policy  with  reference  thereto  was  defined,  under 
a   Republican   administration.      While   two   of  our 
Governors-General  have  been  Democrats,  and  the 
question  of  party  allegiance  has  never  entered  into 
the  Island  government  in  anyway,  the  temptation  to 
use  the  situation  for  political  purposes  could  not  be 
resisted  in  the  States.     Since  1900  the  Democratic 
party  has  sought  to  make  an  "Issue"  of  the  Philip- 
pines, the  mere  fact  of  the  dominant  party  having 
adopted  a  certain   policy  being  ample  ground   for 
denouncing  it  and  demanding  a  change.     Party  suc- 
cess has  been  pinnacled  above  truth  and  honest  deal- 
ing, and  the  effect  of  platform  pledges  upon  the  bal- 
lot box  has  meant  more  than  the  welfare  of  a  de- 
pendent people  given  into  our  keeping.    The  Igno- 
rance  and   partisan   prejudices   of   the   masses   are 
invoked  to  destroy  the  work  and  falsify  the  testi- 
mony  of  men   of   character   who   have   unselfishly 

[356] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

bullded  in  these  islands  a  monument  to  the  justice 
and  high  sense  of  duty  of  the  American  people.  It 
is  certainly  a  sad  commentary  upon  our  so-called 
"leaders,"  when  an  obligation,  national  in  its  scope, 
and  requiring  the  highest  statesmanship  in  its  solu- 
tion, is  debased  into  material  with  which  to  catch  the 
votes  of  an  indifferent  or  uninformed  public. 

Now  that  the  Democratic  party  has  triumphed  at 
the  polls,  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  those  charged 
with  the  responsibility  of  government  thereunder  are 
broad-gauged  enough  to  appreciate  that  this  problem 
here  is  not  one  which  concerns  our  people  as  Demo- 
crats or  Republicans,  but  as  American  citizens.  To 
divide  on  our  Philippine  policy  according  to  party 
lines,  simply  because  the  islands  have  been  used  as 
make-weight  for  political  purposes,  would  be  to  give 
the  lie  to  our  boasted  independence  of  thought  and 
action  in  dealing  with  public  questions. 

No  one  would  pretend  that  mistakes  have  not 
been  made  in  the  Philippines,  or  that  the  present 
situation  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired.  When  the 
ideas  and  institutions  of  one  people,  however  good 
or  advantageous  they  may  be,  are  superimposed  upon 
a  race  whose  habits  of  thought,  customs,  and  lan- 
guage are  altogether  different,  opposition  and  fric- 
tion are  bound  to  result.  Having  acquired  the 
islands,  however,  and  assumed  responsibility  there- 
for, it  is  submitted  that  the  policy  thereafter  adopted 
was  not  only  creditable  to  our  people  but  offered  the 
Filipinos  every  right  and  privilege  which  their  then 
condition  made  feasible  or  possible;  that,  with  minor 

[357] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

Congressional  lapses,  our  work  since  has  been  un- 
remittingly directed  to  promoting  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  whole  people ;  that  our  pledge  to  grant 
them  a  constantly  increasing  participation  in  the  gov- 
ernment has  been  consistently  adhered  to,  and  that 
any  agitation  looking  to  a  present  or  early  change 
in  this  policy  hampers  and  delays  the  material  prog- 
ress of  the  country,  injects  an  element  of  discord 
into  our  relations  with  the  people,  and  postpones  the 
time  when  our  control  can  be  safely  relinquished. 

In  so  far  as  the  actual  administration  of  affairs  is 
concerned,  history  will  record  that  at  no  time  and  in 
no  place  under  our  flag  has  any  department  of  our 
government  been  administered  more  faithfully  and 
honestly  by  those  charged  therewith  than  have  the 
Philippines.  Despite  the  minute  scrutiny  and 
malevolent  ingenuity  of  those  anxious  to  establish 
the  fact,  the  one  effort  to  discredit  our  authorities 
here  proved  a  complete  fiasco.  During  19 lo  a  Con- 
gressman from  one  of  the  beet  sugar  States  de- 
nounced in  perfervid  language  the  sale  to  American 
sugar  interests  of  one  of  the  unoccupied  Friar 
estates,  and  charged  various  of  our  officials  with 
having  used  their  positions  to  obtain  advantageous 
contracts  as  to  such  lands.  The  attack  was  widely 
advertised  by  the  Anti-Imperialist  League,  and  by 
those  interested  in  discrediting  sugar  production  in 
the  Philippines,  who  saw  to  it  that  the  "  Friar  land 
scandal"  was  duly  featured  in  the  American  press. 
A  resolution  was  adopted  authorizing  and  directing 
the  House  Committee  on  Insular  Affairs  to  thor- 

[358] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

oughly  investigate  the  charges  made  and  report 
thereon.  This  was  done,  numerous  witnesses  from 
the  Philippines  and  elsewhere  being  cited  and  exam- 
ined, and  an  exhaustive  study  made  of  all  records 
bearing  on  the  subject.  The  Anti-Imperialist  League, 
which  apparently  supplied  most  of  the  ammunition 
to  the  sugar  Congressman,  was  represented  at  the 
hearing  by  a  private  attorney,  who  left  nothing  un- 
done to  prove  his  fellow-countrymen  here  malefac- 
tors, and  to  bring  discredit  upon  our  country  and 
flag.  The  result  of  this  patriotic  endeavor  must 
have  proven  bitterly  disappointing,  however.  The 
majority  report  of  the  Committee,  signed  by  thirteen 
members,  sustained  the  action  of  the  Philippine  au- 
thorities throughout,  and  as  to  the  personal  charges 
stated : 

We  find  that  the  administration  of  lands  in  the 
Philippine  Islands  has  been  fairly  and  honestly  con- 
ducted, and  that  the  charges  and  insinuations  to  the 
contrary  which  have  been  made  against  the  officials 
charged  with  the  execution  of  the  laws  in  relation 
thereto,  whether  officers  of  the  Philippine  Govern- 
ment or  of  the  United  States,  are  unwarranted  and 
unjust  W.  Cameron  Forbes,  Governor-General; 
Dean  C.  Worcester,  Secretary  of  the  Interior; 
Charles  H.  Sleeper,  Director  of  Lands,  and  Frank 
W.  Carpenter,  Executive  Secretary,  are  able,  ear- 
nest, patriotic  men,  honestly  performing  their  duties 
under  more  or  less  trying  circumstances. 

The  five  other  members  of  the  Committee,  while 
disagreeing  with  the  majority  upon  certain  points  of 

[359] 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

law,  found  with  them  upon  the  charge  of  personal 
wrong-doing,  their  report  reading: 

Nothing  that  has  been  developed  In  this  investiga- 
tion goes  to  show  that  those  charged  with  the  re- 
sponsibility of  administering  the  land  laws  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  have  been  guilty  of  any  wrong- 
doing. Having,  too,  obtained  and  acted  upon  the 
advice  of  the  highest  law  officers  of  the  Philippine 
Government,  they  cannot  be  justly  blamed  for  any 
mistakes  of  law  upon  their  part,  if  mistakes  there 
were. 

Another  favorite  subject  of  criticism  by  those  seek- 
ing flaws  in  the  island  administration  is  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Benguet  road  —  the  highway  leading  to 
the  summer  capital  of  Baguio.  As  stated  in  a  previ- 
ous chapter,  this  road  was  surveyed  by  a  military 
engineer,  who  estimated  it  could  be  built  in  six 
months  at  a  cost  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 
Acting  upon  this  report,  the  amount  specified  was 
appropriated  (Act  6i,  Philippine  Commission),  with 
provision  that  the  work  should  be  completed  by  July 
I,  1901.  As  actual  construction  proceeded,  the  original 
estimate  was  found  defective,  and  further  sums  were 
requested  from  time  to  time,  resulting  in  an  ultimate 
outlay  much  greater  than  first  planned.  Those  who 
have  visited  Baguio,  however,  whether  American, 
foreigner,  or  Filipino,  are  practically  unanimous  in 
saying  that  it  is  worth  all  and  more  than  it  cost.  Its 
wonderful  mountains,  its  pine  forests  that  remind  of 
our  own  northland,   and   its  cool,   bracing  climate 

[360] 


THE   PHILIPPINE    COMMISSION 

make  it  an  ideal  resort  and  sanitarium  for  the  pale 
residents  of  the  lowlands,  whom  fortune  denies  a 
journey  further  afield.  It  is  also  the  site  of  a  mili- 
tary hospital  and  reservation,  of  valuable  gold  mines, 
and  a  distributing  point  for  all  the  mountain  country 
to  the  north.  There  is  little  question  but  that  it  will 
eventually  become  a  new  Simla  for  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Asiatic  seaboard,  supplying  as  it  does  a  needed 
change  in  temperature  and  a  wealth  of  natural 
scenery  scarcely  surpassed  in  the  world.  So  long  as 
the  United  States  is  called  upon  to  send  of  its  sons 
and  daughters  to  administer  these  tropical  islands, 
just  so  long  should  those  who  sit  by  their  firesides 
at  home,  or  those  for  whose  benefit  our  trust  is  as- 
sumed, cease  to  rail  at  Baguio.  It  now  occupies  a 
necessary  place  in  the  economy  of  our  government 
service,  and  will,  as  time  passes,  be  appreciated  and 
utilized  more  and  more  by  the  public  generally. 

If  our  people  at  home  would  relieve  this  Philip- 
pine question  of  its  political  and  sentimental  trim- 
mings, they  would  find  the  issue  comparatively  sim- 
ple. No  self-respecting  American  would  sanction  the 
sale  of  the  islands,  nor  would  he  permit  their  being 
taken  from  us  by  force.  When  we  relinquish  them, 
if  at  all,  it  must  be  in  favor  of  the  Filipino  people, 
and  this  means  in  favor  of  all  the  people  and  not  a 
privileged  few.  No  argument  should  be  necessary 
to  convince  that  the  question  of  when  this  can  safely 
and  honorably  be  done  is  a  practical  one,  and  not  a 
matter  to  be  disposed  of  by  popular  vote  or  popular 
clamor. 

[361I 


THE   ODYSSEY   OF 

For  the  present  the  true  Interests  of  this  people 
can  be  best  served  by  assisting  In  the  material  devel- 
opment of  the  country,  and  in  bringing  to  them  that 
economic  Independence  so  absolutely  prerequisite  to 
their  political  autonomy.  The  Islands  are  rich  In 
every  natural  resource,  and  offer  a  field  for  safe  and 
profitable  Investment  perhaps  unrivalled  In  the 
world.  The  realization  of  this  latent  wealth  of  the 
archipelago  would  mean  increased  opportunity  for 
the  masses,  and  a  hastening  of  the  time  when  they 
can  Intelligently  administer  a  government  of  their 
own  based  upon  the  equal  rights  of  all.  When  this 
fact  is  realized  by  our  people,  and  the  situation  re- 
lieved of  personal  prejudice  and  the  baneful  Influ- 
ence of  party  politics,  we  may  reasonably  hope  that 
our  undertaking  here  will  prove  a  source  of  pride  to 
us  and  of  satisfaction  to  the  people  whose  welfare 
we  have  taken  Into  our  keeping. 


THE  END 


[  362  ] 


INDEX 


Administration  of  the  Philippines, 
what  has  boen  done,  33:i-340 ; 
cost,    32'J,    330 

Aguinaldo,  in  biding,  124  ;  cap- 
ture of,  194  ;  takes  oath  of  al- 
legiance, 221!  ;  address  to  the 
people,  222-224  ;  his  gun  foun- 
dry,   260 

Amusements,    337 

Anti-imperialists,    344,    345 

Army  in  the  islands,  51,  56  ;  im- 
portance of  precedence  al  func- 
tions, 85  ;  the  American  soldier, 
102 ;  police  work,   123 

Baguio,   261-264 

Bengue>t,  as  a  summer  resort,   71, 

73  ;    trip    to,    255-275,   360.    361 
Brent,    Bishop    C.     II.,    views    of 

Philippine   conditions,   350,   351 
Bryan,  W.  J.,  88,  108,  329 

Canton,  40-43 

Church  and  state,  336 

Climate,   138,    139 

Commission,  the  Philippine, 
reason  for  its  appointment,  5 ; 
its  members,  6,  7  ;  legislative 
body,  46 ;  introduction  to  Ma- 
nila, 49-51  ;  scope  and  policy, 
61  ;  organization  and  assign- 
ments, 62  ;  assistants,  64  ;  its 
methods  of  work,  87  ;  acts  re- 
garding labor  and  salaries,  143, 
144;  provincial  organizations 
in  the  north,  145-164  ;  in  the 
south,  165-189;  visits  the  Sulu 
group,  191-202  ;  further  provin- 
cial organizations,  203-214  : 
antagonism  to,  214 ;  further 
organization  work,  218,  220, 
221,  225,  230,  232,  239,  244, 
247  ;  judiciary  act,  252  ;  Fili- 
pinos appointed  members,  278  ; 
Po.'trd  of  Health  act,  282;  con- 
stabulary act.  283;  favoring 
Filipinos,  286-288 ;  work  mis- 
represented, 288  ;  northern  trip, 
200-314;  tariff  bill,  315; 
amount  of  work,  320,  321  ; 
character    of,    322,    323 

Congress  and  tlie  Philippines, 
mining  laws,  342  ;  currency, 
342  :   tariff  wrongs,   343 

Congressional  party  and  Ideas, 
325 


Cost   of  administration,   329,  330 
Courts,      reorganization     of,     92 , 
evils  of  local,  93,  94  ;  new  codes 
for,  94  ;  improvement  in,  333 

Democratic  party  and  Philippines, 

89,    00,    3o6,    357 
Dewey,    Admiral,    and    his    battle, 

3,  4,  48,  99,  243,  244 
Dickinson,    J.    M.,    report    on    the 

Philippines,   348,   349,   354,   355 
Dinners   and   balls,    84,    213,    220, 

Education,  132-134 ;  arrival  of 
teachers,  316 ;  what  has  been 
accomplished,  333 

Federal  party  created,  122 ; 
spread  of,   136 

Filipinos,  character  and  life,  82, 
100  ;  education,  84  ;  cocktight- 
ing,  99  ;  reception  to  American 
Commission  and  hospitality, 
145-164,  200.  215,  216,  307  ; 
adjustment  to  new  conditions, 
249,  250  ;  represented  in  gov- 
ernment, 286  ;  political  parties, 
317,  318 ;  radicals,  327  :  office 
holders,  338,  339  ;  opposition  to 
American  help,  340,  341  ;  their 
liberty  today,  352  ;  arguments 
ML'ainst  their  independence, 
354.  355;  best  help  for,  362; 
summary    of   work    for.    332-340 

Finances,  currency  problem.  111- 
114  ;    improvement    in.    3.'{6 

Forestry    regulations,   336 

Friars,  their  rule  in  the  islands, 
73,  75-77 ;  and  life,  77.  78 : 
lands,  73.  74.  79  ;  treatment  of 
the    natives,    171  ;    estates,    336 

Grant,  General  Frederick,  129 

Health  service,  334 
Hong   Kong,  37-40,  44,  45 
Honolulu,    10-15 

Igorotes,  receive  civil  government, 
119,    120,   267,   274 

Imports,    337 

Independence  of  the  islands,  4 ; 
urged  by  natives,  68,  69  :  vague 
ide.Ms,  concerning.  70.  "1  ;  liow 
far  it  can  be  favored,  287 


[363] 


INDEX 


Insurrection  and  insurrectos,  the, 
4,  5,  50-til  ;  109,  2l2tt,  228,  232  ; 
address  of  Judge  Tat't  on,  233. 
234 

Irrigation,  335 

Japan,  18-36 
Judiciary    act,    252 

Kyoto,  30-32 

Liquor  and  saloons,   117,  119 

McKinley,  I'resident  William,  DO  ; 
election,  124  ;  effect  of  in  I'iiil- 
ippines,  206 ;  assassination  of, 
319  ;    and    islands,    329 

Manila,  description  of  and  life  in, 
48-58 ;  improvement  of  port, 
95  ;  churches  and  services,  97, 
98 

Military  government,  46,  50,  51, 
56,  65  ;  in  the  Sulu  group,  191  ; 
varieties  of  and  the  Commis- 
sion, 214  ;  varieties  of,  241, 
243 ;  and  provincial  govern- 
ment. 2.">o  ;  change  in,  279  ;  in 
Northern    Luzon,    296 

Moros,   193,   197 

Municipal   code,    139-141 

Nagasaki,  33-36 
Negritos,    described.    130 
Nikko,  23-26 

Philippine     Islands,     government, 
46  ;      change      in      government. 
280 ;    what    the    United    States 
has    done     for,     327-;>62  ;     cosl. 
329,     330  ;     reason    for    oecupa 
tion.  328.  331.  332  ;  solving  the 
problem,     332 
I'ostal   savings   bank,    335 
I'rovincial    organization    work    by 
the      Commission,      among      the 
Igorotcs,     119,     120:     extension 
of,    i;{7  :   provincial   government 
act,  i:>9.   141-143;   methods  and 
experiences    on    northern    trip, 


145-164  ;  on  southern  trip.  165- 
189,  203-214,  218.  220.  221, 
225,  230,  232,  239,  244,  247  : 
central  civil  government,  251, 
2.")4 ;  northern  provinces,  299, 
313 

Rizal,   Dr.  Jose,  80,  81,  205,  206, 

341 
Roads  and  road  building,  90.  91  ; 

to  Benguet,   257,  263,   360,   361 

"Star     Spangled     Banner,     The," 

effect    of    the    music,    57,    128, 

195 
Sultan   of   Sulu,   the,   192,   193 
Sulu  group   visited,   191-202 
Schools,  American,  84  ;  need  of  in 

the    islands,    132 ;    religion    in. 

133,    134 ;    arrival    of    teachers, 

316;    what    the    United    States 

has  done  for,  333 
Spanish  rule,  81,  82,  83,  90,  110; 

feeling    towards    natives,    127  : 

as   to  education,   132 

Taft,  W.  H.,  chairman  of  com- 
mission, 63 ;  department  of 
work,  62  ;  address  to  people  in 
the  insurrection,  233,  234  ;  ad- 
dress on  civil  liberty,  245 ;  ap- 
pointed civil  governor,  278 : 
inauguration.  280 :  address  at 
inauguration,  281  ;  address  on 
the  policy  of  the  United  States. 
345-347 

Tokio.   20-23 

Transportation,   335 

United  States  and  Philippine 
islands,  reason  for  occupation. 
328,  331.  332:  what  has  been 
done,   332-339,  358 

Wilson.  President  Woodrow.  on 
self-government.  352,   353 

Yokohama,    18-20,    26-30 


F364] 


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